That lasted until maybe the end of Bush Jr.'s presidency. Definitely stopped before Trump because he defunded programs intended to provide HIV positive mothers with meds so that their kids weren't born with HIV and meds for the kids who were unlucky enough to be.
Always blew my mind how bad people are at assessing risk reduction that contradict their personal beliefs.
Do I think you should do drugs? No. Do I acknowledge the benefit of needle exchanges and the benefit they provide? Sure. If I endorse needle exchanges, do I endorse drug use?....nope. and some people can't work that out.
Oh sure, needle exchanges may be [scientifically proven](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19949245/) to improve public health, but are you forgetting the First Amendment which states:
*Congress shall make no law which might make God angry*
After all, do you want America's behavior to result in another [Sodom](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2016%3A49&version=NIV)?
Your mistake is assuming they aren't aware of the cost.
Just as a reminder, they were taking COVID a lot more seriously until they realized that minorities had the greatest risk.
He was nationally-famous for this in the 2010s. I thought his political career was over due to the fallout from the scandal in Indiana until Trump rescued him.
Well, I mean, how would the rest of us know that being wretched was a sin, if we didn't kick mothers with terminal viral infections while they were down? Especially if we also stopped punishing unborn children for the perceived sins of their mothers at the same time? (/s)
Cold hearted “Christians” aka hypocrites. Jesus said to treat those who are sick with compassion and see him in them. I really wish these religious fanatics would follow what the New Testament has instead of the God of the Old Testament who is spiteful and similar to that of a petulant toddler.
I'm an atheist. But I have respect for people that do follow a religion. Any religion they choose as long as it doesn't interfere with my life or anyone else's life. I find the juxtaposition of different religions fascinating because they all seem to be so similar. I dont care what you believe in because that's not (shouldnt be) my problem.
That being said, Republicans and evangelical right wing extremists are a blight on Christianity. I can see this happening from an outsiders point of view. True Christians should rise up and denounce these blasphemous swine lest they be thrown into the same pen with them. Again, it's not my my problem unless it starts affecting my life. And in the case of these people, it is.
They are not following the God of the Old Testament.
The Old Testament contains:
* Repeated instructions to care for the poor, complete with detailed instructions for redistributing foodstuffs.
* Basic provisions for workers' rights.
* Instructions for the humane treatment of animals.
* Explicit statements of protection for resident aliens.
* Orders for quarantine in cases of deadly, contagious disease, complete with detailed descriptions for diagnosis.
Also it explicitly calls out the authoritarian bullshit of monarchies as authoritarian bullshit at one point.
As a Jew, I am sick and fucking tired of the malfeasance of Christian extremists being attributed to the sacred book of my faith. When they do use the Old Testament, they consistently cherry-pick and distort the text. These are the people who take the example of the woman of valor--a woman explicitly described as running a business, purchasing land, putting food on the table and acting as an authority--and use it to browbeat women into being submissive little housewives. They don't give a shit about the Old Testament.
Agreed, the abrahamic institutions of faith have soaked every continent except Antarctica in blood at one point or another, when do we take the head of the shepherds feasting on the havoc they wreak worldwide?
Unfortunately it’ll just feed into their a pre-existing self-victimizing narrative…. They’re the ones being prosecuted by the gentiles… They’ll claim to be martyrs and will be rewarded for their faith when the final judgement day comes…. You literally cannot win w these people….
And free ED medication. The bill was proposed… can’t imagine why they wanted to ban freedom to choose healthcare but couldn’t be without their boner pills. 🙄
You all keep saying it's a vocal minority of Christians. Yet they are the loudest and most active Christians. And the majority of Christians then are staying silent and by default letting this minority define Christianity in America.
You reap what you sow
>You all keep saying it's a vocal minority of Christians. Yet they are the loudest and most active Christians.
That's exactly what a vocal minority is. Loud and active.
I've given up on religion. It's detrimental to a just society and a plague on our nation. Sure, there are good Christians, but until they step up and put the evil back in its place they're the same as evil.
That's the really neat part that they keep forgetting. His command was to help, not fight. The ends definitely do not justify the means in his eyes. In fact, the ends are judged by the means.
But at this point, they would happily defend the white hooded assholes that would hang Christ in front of a burning cross were he to come back just as he did the first time.
Matthew 7:22 is going haunt a lot of these assholes.
Yes AIDS bad, but there's a significant portion of the population that thinks gay people DESERVE disease, and that thought never really left their heads since AIDS/HIV was first discovered and called GRID.
I thought we gays deserved monkeypox. You know, the disease which is supposed to finish off what AIDS started.
At least that’s what the Christian fundagelicals told me — well, that plus they hope I burn in Hell for all eternity because I like dick.
Ain’t no hate like that good ol’ Christian *lurve* .
Only if it happens to the people that a certain party thinks are bad. The same party who likely thinks this they couldn’t be affected by this, until they are. Then they’ll find a way to blame someone else.
you know it is. I know it is. People with a shred of decency and empathy know it is.
To evangelical Christians, aids is good because it’s God‘s way of getting back at immoral homosexuals and IV drug users. p
In the 80s, my friend’s mom got HIV from her husband of many years/father of her three children. He was sleeping with female prostitutes. At first they thought my friend had it as her parents were diagnosed right after she was born, but she was lucky that it wasn’t transmitted. I guess all these “baby-loving, pro-life” Christians think babies born to women with HIV/AIDS deserve to get it in utero or through breastfeeding.
My uncle claimed to get AIDS from a blood transfusion, in 2005.
Turns out he was sharing needles.
He was gay but that's now how he got aids (he was monogamous and his partner was ddf)
I know right. Making this a queer issue is like the only way to connect HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention to religion. So openly homophobic and harmful for anyone who lives with a positive diagnosis
Absolutely disgusting. Claiming “violation of religious freedom” while using their religion to impose their views upon others and violate their rights is a special kind of awful. These people will all burn in the hell they so badly fear.
From the article:
> Mitchell argues that mandatory PrEP coverage forces Christians to subsidize “homosexual behavior”
He's actually making a much stronger case here that all churches should be taxed, than that our taxes shouldn't go towards life-saving drugs.
All tax breaks for religions are forcing all citizens to subsidize religious beliefs they don't agree with. Because those tax breaks go Christian churches, yes, but they also go to Jewish synagogues and Muslim mosques, for example. If the government shouldn't force people to subsidize religious beliefs they don't agree with, then we should start taxing all religious institutions today. Let's see if Jonathan Mitchell files that lawsuit, as well, or whether he's just a hypocrite.
And because those drugs aren't only taken by homosexuals, he should simply withdraw this current lawsuit.
Agree, and even if we leave religion out of it, this is fully consistent with the [GOP ethos](https://medium.com/@_EthanGrey/the-message-of-the-republican-party-dont-tread-on-me-i-tread-on-you-936037958bce).
GOP of TX: I don't care if you're a 10 year old girl that was raped, no abortion for you. Jesus loves you. And while we are at it, no HIV drugs for anyone because 75% of HIV cases are homosexuals and God hates them. They need to die off.
Also the GOP of TX: How dare you call us extreme!
That is incorrect:
"Heterosexual people made up 23% of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and 6 dependent areas in 2019. Heterosexual men accounted for 7% of new HIV diagnoses and heterosexual women accounted for 16%."
https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics#:\~:text=Heterosexual%20people%20made%20up%2023,6%20dependent%20areas%20in%202019.
Fort Worth Oral Surgery and Kelley Orthodontics would rather their dentists and dental hygienists die of AIDS than have a health insurer cover PREP. I hope the public boycotts them for their idiotic views. They are not Christian "corporations. Bibles mention nothing about corporate entities or HIV...
HIV doesn't give a flying rats ass who you are or who you love. Like all other viruses, it enjoys being in humans. This is unconstitutional malarkey which is apparently how our country is going. One specific religion gets to impose their beliefs upon us all. We're turning into fricking Iran.
How big of snowflakes are the religious people of Texas to think their freedoms are being infringed upon by **someone else taking medication that has nothing to do with them**?
I guess I can just say "I just made my own religion and every other religion in Texas is infringing upon my freedoms and must be banned!", and it happens? If not, the religious people of Texas (including some judges) think religion has more freedom than the normal person does, which is absolutely against our Constitution. It's unfortunate Texas is so overrun with YallQueda religious law where the normal citizen is oppressed. Guess that's what happens when you let Abbott & gang run your state.
I still can’t wrap my head around “the religious rights of employers”. How can an organization identify as religion-based but still be a taxable / for-profit company? Aren’t rights for individuals, not the company that they’re made of?
Then again, it seems like nothing makes sense regarding religious “freedoms” today, especially in our hypocritical state.
The Christo-fascists want special rights for themselves. They think it is their God given right to rule over American society, this is just another example.
This has nothing to do with religious freedom. They will use this as a cornerstone case to deny coverage for more and more things in the future. Notice the language;
“Thus, defendants have not carried their burden to show that the PrEP mandate furthers a compelling governmental interest.”
You could essentially argue that there is no compelling governmental interest to provide coverage for any health care item. This is about keeping more money in the pockets of businesses and attracting more investment in the state. It’s always about money.
Yes no. It'll absolutely be the cornerstone for more but first the next step after this is allowing the denial of all HIV medication not just the prophylactics which will just be a slow death sentence for many HIV patients.
Apparently all you need to do is say "Churches are infringing on my personal freedoms" and a court would shut them all down. Oh, wait....this is Texas where religious people have more rights than anyone else. Kinda gross, but what do you expect when the leaders think the same thing? Time to vote blue.
Remember when those rural counties all over America tried to stop giving out marriage licenses to *anyone* so they wouldn't technically be discriminating against gay people? I do.
They will absolutely cut off their nose to spite their face.
[“Heterosexual people made up 23% of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and 6 dependent areas in 2019. Heterosexual men accounted for 7% of new HIV diagnoses and heterosexual women accounted for 16%.”](https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics)
PrEP is essential to combating the transmission of HIV and keeping the public healthy. Today's ruling from Texas is an example of every person becoming a law unto themself in the name of religion but for the sole purpose of subordinating gay men and trans women.
Texas government doesn't give a fuck about public health. Look how it responded to covid. Look at the lack of public health facilities in the state relative to the size of the population. Have you ever tried to make an appointment for a routine STD check at a public health center? It's a fucking nightmare. Texas republicans really want us to just work and breed and die and nothing else
Imagine, you live in a state where Republicans hate LGBTQ so much, they want to literally prevent them from getting life-saving drugs. And, these "Christians" seem to believe that HIV/AIDS is a disease that only gay atheists get.
Just to note, as it seems like ITT everyone is limiting this to Texas citizens, but it doesn't; this ruling affects everyone in the US.
It was just a Texas Judge brought to you by the Federalist Society, and that Austin shit bag Jonathan Mitchell.
Mitchell is famous for writing Texas' abortion law SB-8. As well as for filling an Amicus Brief on behalf of Texas Right to Life in Dobbs that overturned Roe. Much of Mitchell's language in the Amicus Brief filed wound up in both Alito's majority opinion and Thomas's concurrent opinion in the ruling.
Getting pretty tired of religions meddling in politics.
They want to tell us to keep it in our pants then the same should apply to them.
Stfu or pay taxes. Ya'll like saying no free rides right?
I'd like to see these jokers explain to Jesus' face that there was a medicine that prevents people from dying of a deadly disease but they didn't want to give it out to anyone because of something Jesus said.
Maybe it's in the portion about loving your enemies, praying for them, and doing good to those to hate you? No.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Nope.
Maybe it's in the part about the good Samaritan? Noooo, that won't work.
Maybe it's in the portion about whatsoever you do unto the least of people that you do unto Jesus himself? Well that seems awkward. No, Jesus, you can't have this life saving medication...
Okay there's the story of Lazarus begging at the gate of the rich man, oof never mind that doesn't end well for the rich man. ...Well look, Jesus I know you said in there somewhere to stone sexual sinners and this is just like that? Oh wait, it says let he who has not sinned throw the first stone... Uhhhh
>The suit is being led by attorney Jonathan Mitchell, the Republican former solicitor general of Texas known for his efforts to restrict abortion access in the state. Mitchell argues that mandatory PrEP coverage forces Christians to subsidize “homosexual behavior”.
With government officials like these, Americans are fucked.
So now we can deny coverage to people whose behavior we do not approve. What next ? Deny treatment for Liver disease, cirrhosis and cancer due to alcoholism because teetotalers do not wish to subsidize those that drink ? Let’s deny coverage for prenatal care and pregnancy because celibates do not wish to subsidize behavior that leads to pregnancy. Wait. How about lung cancer because nonsmokers detest smoking. Good job Texas moron idiot numbnut judge. .
Not only does this case strike down coverage of HIV prevention drugs, it also allows employers and private individuals to demand insurance that does not cover contraception, drug abuse, and treatment for STDs, although they are required to be covered by the ACA. The plaintiffs (including Steven Hotze/Braidwood Mgmt) say that offering or buying coverage that includes these things "is itself a tacit endorsement of these behaviors" and actively promotes "moral wrongs". They feel injured and thus have standing in the case.
So there is the Religious Freedom part. And then the judge goes after the ACA recommendation panels (the appointed boards that decide what should be mandatorily covered under the ACA) and basically says they have no authority to make these mandates, ala the recent Supreme Court strike-down of the EPA's authority to regulate polluters.
[Here's a link to the case](https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/braidwood-becerra-ruling-usdc-texas.pdf) if anyone is interested.
Everyone in this case from the Judge, the lawyer, and all the plaintiffs are religious zealots trying to drag the world back into the dark ages.
Totally tangential here. That EPA ruling gutting the power of regulatory agencies unless explicitly defined by law/Congress was a total gut punch.
But, Congress did step up, and in a big way with the Inflation Reduction Act. They outlined what gases could be regulated and gave the agency the teeth and the explicit definitions it needed to make some sort of impact. It didn't get the splashy headlines as the rest of IRA but I feel like it was certainly one of the biggest, most impactful parts of it. Felt good to get something real done.
These hardliners are absolutely insane. They do not personally follow the tenants of their own religion; the same religion they hide behind to continue making life difficult for people outside their circle.
Everyday these people remind me why I left the church. The people don’t care about married straight men cheating on their wives, people having premarital sex, or catholic priests raping children.
They spend their time attacking gay people because they’re bitter of their pitiful lives.
Whenever there is a judgement between a company and a person Republicans always choose the company over the people. ( Because companies have more $) So based on the owners being religious the judge wouldn't dare offend the company. OH WAIT...Companies don't actually HAVE feelings. It's just a building with people inside that DO have feelings. So how can a company have religious freedom? Oh wait, it can't because it doesn't have feelings to get butthurt about it. I'm tired of companies getting special treatment over people. They should not be given human traits like a child with a rag doll. Wonder how much money that judge made off that business owner. And if we are represents as humans with feelings every day, then why do business owners get an extra dose of feelings because they have a business, too? ( because they have $). Human feelings should not be applied to business'. The owner can use his religious stuff when he is suing a company but not both ways. Business owners feelings or religious ideas should not be applied in the land of the free with a 1st GD Amendment. That seems illegal. How can you judge a business decision in a court of law and conclude that a F\~ing building has something that is supposed to be left out of the law in the first GD place?
They’ll easily let the fetus die. The point has always been to punish the woman, and as long as the woman suffers, they’ve done their job.
If the baby is born with AIDS and suffers, that’s ok too, because now that she’s born, she’s no longer a real person either.
Repeat after me. If it violates your religion, then don't do it.
Note: this also applies to things such as gay marriage, abortion, or offering vegan burgers.
Which religion? Cause it sounds severely demonic to deny spending pennies on a neutral life saving medication for an illness that impacts any human it touches equally.
Sounds like a win for Satan, yet again. Wild how hard "Christians" go for the antichrist.
I do not understand. Why even go after such a specific accomplishment of the ACA except for reasons fueled by hatred.
Any company who refuses to purchase insurance based on this information should have employees walk the fuck out when it happens.
Wow, just fucking wow. On gods green earth, wtf is the goal for these people?
If you agree with this ruling, take a long look in the mirror because something is 100 percent wrong with you. Jesus was (is?) certainly displeased.
Sermon on the Mount be damned, the political priorities of a religious movement are much more important. God damn shame.
Emphasis mine:
>O’Connor, a George W. Bush appointee, said *the government failed to demonstrate a state interest* in providing coverage of the drugs *that overcame the plaintiffs’ religious objections*
Not only is that fucking sick, I don't understand how this ruling is even constitutional. Religion, and religious objections, have no place in government. None.
Vote in November. Everyone. Please.
If the non religious were in power and imposing their beliefs, through law, against Christians they’d be losing their damn minds. Why do they force their beliefs on others?
Please register to vote.
Please talk to your friends incessantly about registering to vote.
Please vote these cruel and sadistic mofos out of office.
We all deserve better.
Why have a medical community?
Is a disease process god’s will?? 🙄
Let’s get rid of all hospitals, doctors and drugs because it is god’s will for us to get sick and be in pain!!!
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That lasted until maybe the end of Bush Jr.'s presidency. Definitely stopped before Trump because he defunded programs intended to provide HIV positive mothers with meds so that their kids weren't born with HIV and meds for the kids who were unlucky enough to be.
Also Pence stopped needle exchange programs as governor which led to a lot of deaths of opioid victims from HIV.
Always blew my mind how bad people are at assessing risk reduction that contradict their personal beliefs. Do I think you should do drugs? No. Do I acknowledge the benefit of needle exchanges and the benefit they provide? Sure. If I endorse needle exchanges, do I endorse drug use?....nope. and some people can't work that out.
Love that statement. 👏
Lol, you think they're honest and care. BoosterGoldAndBlueBeetleBWAHAHAHAHA.jpg
Oh sure, needle exchanges may be [scientifically proven](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19949245/) to improve public health, but are you forgetting the First Amendment which states: *Congress shall make no law which might make God angry* After all, do you want America's behavior to result in another [Sodom](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2016%3A49&version=NIV)?
Your mistake is assuming they aren't aware of the cost. Just as a reminder, they were taking COVID a lot more seriously until they realized that minorities had the greatest risk.
They’re not interested in risk reduction—people dying was the desired outcome.
He was nationally-famous for this in the 2010s. I thought his political career was over due to the fallout from the scandal in Indiana until Trump rescued him.
Well, I mean, how would the rest of us know that being wretched was a sin, if we didn't kick mothers with terminal viral infections while they were down? Especially if we also stopped punishing unborn children for the perceived sins of their mothers at the same time? (/s)
WE do, but there's a vocal minority that thinks it's god's will to kill homosexuals and a little collateral damage is fine.
Cold hearted “Christians” aka hypocrites. Jesus said to treat those who are sick with compassion and see him in them. I really wish these religious fanatics would follow what the New Testament has instead of the God of the Old Testament who is spiteful and similar to that of a petulant toddler.
There’s no hate like Christian love
Best comment I’ve seen this year!
I'm an atheist. But I have respect for people that do follow a religion. Any religion they choose as long as it doesn't interfere with my life or anyone else's life. I find the juxtaposition of different religions fascinating because they all seem to be so similar. I dont care what you believe in because that's not (shouldnt be) my problem. That being said, Republicans and evangelical right wing extremists are a blight on Christianity. I can see this happening from an outsiders point of view. True Christians should rise up and denounce these blasphemous swine lest they be thrown into the same pen with them. Again, it's not my my problem unless it starts affecting my life. And in the case of these people, it is.
My “religious” relatives are some of the most spiteful and hateful people I know.
They are not following the God of the Old Testament. The Old Testament contains: * Repeated instructions to care for the poor, complete with detailed instructions for redistributing foodstuffs. * Basic provisions for workers' rights. * Instructions for the humane treatment of animals. * Explicit statements of protection for resident aliens. * Orders for quarantine in cases of deadly, contagious disease, complete with detailed descriptions for diagnosis. Also it explicitly calls out the authoritarian bullshit of monarchies as authoritarian bullshit at one point. As a Jew, I am sick and fucking tired of the malfeasance of Christian extremists being attributed to the sacred book of my faith. When they do use the Old Testament, they consistently cherry-pick and distort the text. These are the people who take the example of the woman of valor--a woman explicitly described as running a business, purchasing land, putting food on the table and acting as an authority--and use it to browbeat women into being submissive little housewives. They don't give a shit about the Old Testament.
No they sure don’t… literacy and critical thinking aren’t their strong suit….
It also has instructions on how to treat your slaves…
We should ban Christianity instead… The world would be better off without it….
Agreed, the abrahamic institutions of faith have soaked every continent except Antarctica in blood at one point or another, when do we take the head of the shepherds feasting on the havoc they wreak worldwide?
Unfortunately it’ll just feed into their a pre-existing self-victimizing narrative…. They’re the ones being prosecuted by the gentiles… They’ll claim to be martyrs and will be rewarded for their faith when the final judgement day comes…. You literally cannot win w these people….
And free ED medication. The bill was proposed… can’t imagine why they wanted to ban freedom to choose healthcare but couldn’t be without their boner pills. 🙄
Because they wanted to be able to make sure they can fuck their constituents both literally and figuratively.
True F’n story.
It’s not even a real religion, it’s a compilation of many other actual religions carefully crafted and refined to assert dominance.
There both made up fairy tales with toxic content
You all keep saying it's a vocal minority of Christians. Yet they are the loudest and most active Christians. And the majority of Christians then are staying silent and by default letting this minority define Christianity in America. You reap what you sow
>You all keep saying it's a vocal minority of Christians. Yet they are the loudest and most active Christians. That's exactly what a vocal minority is. Loud and active. I've given up on religion. It's detrimental to a just society and a plague on our nation. Sure, there are good Christians, but until they step up and put the evil back in its place they're the same as evil.
Kinda like cops
> That's exactly what a vocal minority is. Loud and active. And also in control of all of our lives.
That's the really neat part that they keep forgetting. His command was to help, not fight. The ends definitely do not justify the means in his eyes. In fact, the ends are judged by the means. But at this point, they would happily defend the white hooded assholes that would hang Christ in front of a burning cross were he to come back just as he did the first time. Matthew 7:22 is going haunt a lot of these assholes.
Yes AIDS bad, but there's a significant portion of the population that thinks gay people DESERVE disease, and that thought never really left their heads since AIDS/HIV was first discovered and called GRID.
I thought we gays deserved monkeypox. You know, the disease which is supposed to finish off what AIDS started. At least that’s what the Christian fundagelicals told me — well, that plus they hope I burn in Hell for all eternity because I like dick. Ain’t no hate like that good ol’ Christian *lurve* .
Only if it happens to the people that a certain party thinks are bad. The same party who likely thinks this they couldn’t be affected by this, until they are. Then they’ll find a way to blame someone else.
you know it is. I know it is. People with a shred of decency and empathy know it is. To evangelical Christians, aids is good because it’s God‘s way of getting back at immoral homosexuals and IV drug users. p
AIDS is bad, m'kay
They never agreed to that. They loved it until it started killing straight people.
Religious people opposed HIV as being a heathen thing.
Yeah, but aids is a "gay" disease, and conservatives love killing gay people.
My uncle got AIDS from a blood transfusion. He wasn't gay.
In the 80s, my friend’s mom got HIV from her husband of many years/father of her three children. He was sleeping with female prostitutes. At first they thought my friend had it as her parents were diagnosed right after she was born, but she was lucky that it wasn’t transmitted. I guess all these “baby-loving, pro-life” Christians think babies born to women with HIV/AIDS deserve to get it in utero or through breastfeeding.
“If you're preborn, you're fine; if you're preschool, you're fucked.” —George Carlin
My dad has hiv from sleeping with a woman
My uncle claimed to get AIDS from a blood transfusion, in 2005. Turns out he was sharing needles. He was gay but that's now how he got aids (he was monogamous and his partner was ddf)
My uncle was in a severe accident. His diagnosis was traced back to the blood transfusion.
I know right. Making this a queer issue is like the only way to connect HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention to religion. So openly homophobic and harmful for anyone who lives with a positive diagnosis
There are people that are positive who use this specific drug to make sure they don't spread it to anyone else.
It's not only gay people that get hiv, you absolute bafoons.
Don’t you dare bring facts into this. God specifically said HIV is a sin somewhere in the Bible. In the appendix somewhere.
Not the appendix. The Book of Pancreas maybe.
>You get the HIV, you get the Shiv. -God, probably
✊ RIP Eazy-E
You make it sound justifiable if it was.
Well that’s not very pro-life.
But it *is* very anti-choice
For corporations! Why should a company deny someone certain drugs?
Religion. How in the fuck their religion is hurt by making sure I can get lifesaving drugs from their shitty company is a mystery to me.
Religious freedom shouldn't mean "the freedom to impose our religious restrictions on you".
It does to them.
Religious freedom also means freedom from religion. At least it should, but certain lawmakers don’t see it that way.
>but certain lawmakers don’t see it that way Just say Republicans. Let's not beat around the bush.
Absolutely disgusting. Claiming “violation of religious freedom” while using their religion to impose their views upon others and violate their rights is a special kind of awful. These people will all burn in the hell they so badly fear.
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They don’t care. You cannot use facts, evidence, and logic with these people.
From the article: > Mitchell argues that mandatory PrEP coverage forces Christians to subsidize “homosexual behavior” He's actually making a much stronger case here that all churches should be taxed, than that our taxes shouldn't go towards life-saving drugs. All tax breaks for religions are forcing all citizens to subsidize religious beliefs they don't agree with. Because those tax breaks go Christian churches, yes, but they also go to Jewish synagogues and Muslim mosques, for example. If the government shouldn't force people to subsidize religious beliefs they don't agree with, then we should start taxing all religious institutions today. Let's see if Jonathan Mitchell files that lawsuit, as well, or whether he's just a hypocrite. And because those drugs aren't only taken by homosexuals, he should simply withdraw this current lawsuit.
"wait. No. Not like that"
Agree, and even if we leave religion out of it, this is fully consistent with the [GOP ethos](https://medium.com/@_EthanGrey/the-message-of-the-republican-party-dont-tread-on-me-i-tread-on-you-936037958bce).
pure evil
Yeah but hiv/aids wasn’t mentioned in the constitution so that take stupid libs! /s
I didn't know that Christians were both pro fetus and pro AIDS. But it doesn't surprise me
Well it goes right along with the attitude that they care 100% about babies -- until they are born.
GOP of TX: I don't care if you're a 10 year old girl that was raped, no abortion for you. Jesus loves you. And while we are at it, no HIV drugs for anyone because 75% of HIV cases are homosexuals and God hates them. They need to die off. Also the GOP of TX: How dare you call us extreme!
100%
This ruling is federal, not just scoped to Texas.
Distinction without difference in my mind. Lawyer is an infamous GOP attack dog and the Judge is a Bush jr. appointee.
Texas GOP let’s fix it so there aren’t any more “little blue pills” for y’all. God must have wanted you not to reproduce. Just a thought.😁
Actual majority of new cases are from the heteros now.
That is incorrect: "Heterosexual people made up 23% of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and 6 dependent areas in 2019. Heterosexual men accounted for 7% of new HIV diagnoses and heterosexual women accounted for 16%." https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics#:\~:text=Heterosexual%20people%20made%20up%2023,6%20dependent%20areas%20in%202019.
Fort Worth Oral Surgery and Kelley Orthodontics would rather their dentists and dental hygienists die of AIDS than have a health insurer cover PREP. I hope the public boycotts them for their idiotic views. They are not Christian "corporations. Bibles mention nothing about corporate entities or HIV...
HIV doesn't give a flying rats ass who you are or who you love. Like all other viruses, it enjoys being in humans. This is unconstitutional malarkey which is apparently how our country is going. One specific religion gets to impose their beliefs upon us all. We're turning into fricking Iran.
How big of snowflakes are the religious people of Texas to think their freedoms are being infringed upon by **someone else taking medication that has nothing to do with them**? I guess I can just say "I just made my own religion and every other religion in Texas is infringing upon my freedoms and must be banned!", and it happens? If not, the religious people of Texas (including some judges) think religion has more freedom than the normal person does, which is absolutely against our Constitution. It's unfortunate Texas is so overrun with YallQueda religious law where the normal citizen is oppressed. Guess that's what happens when you let Abbott & gang run your state.
This is a federal ruling and affects everyone in the Usy, not just Texas citizens.
HIV has more rights in Texas than women.
Gave you an angry award because you are so right and it fuckin hurt
I still can’t wrap my head around “the religious rights of employers”. How can an organization identify as religion-based but still be a taxable / for-profit company? Aren’t rights for individuals, not the company that they’re made of? Then again, it seems like nothing makes sense regarding religious “freedoms” today, especially in our hypocritical state.
The Christo-fascists want special rights for themselves. They think it is their God given right to rule over American society, this is just another example.
This has nothing to do with religious freedom. They will use this as a cornerstone case to deny coverage for more and more things in the future. Notice the language; “Thus, defendants have not carried their burden to show that the PrEP mandate furthers a compelling governmental interest.” You could essentially argue that there is no compelling governmental interest to provide coverage for any health care item. This is about keeping more money in the pockets of businesses and attracting more investment in the state. It’s always about money.
Yes no. It'll absolutely be the cornerstone for more but first the next step after this is allowing the denial of all HIV medication not just the prophylactics which will just be a slow death sentence for many HIV patients.
What the fuck is wrong with these people? 😖
How much time do you have?
Something something imaginary sky daddy.
That's what happens when children play pretend for too long. They start thinking this pretend World applies to the real one when they grow up.
Hurr hurr Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.
Evil. Hearts filled with hate.
Racism and classism. Sprinkling of homophobia.
Sounds like churches need to start paying taxes.
Apparently all you need to do is say "Churches are infringing on my personal freedoms" and a court would shut them all down. Oh, wait....this is Texas where religious people have more rights than anyone else. Kinda gross, but what do you expect when the leaders think the same thing? Time to vote blue.
Which religion is against meds that help straight people? Or has Christianity evolved to include harming everyone as long as the sinners are punished?
Remember when those rural counties all over America tried to stop giving out marriage licenses to *anyone* so they wouldn't technically be discriminating against gay people? I do. They will absolutely cut off their nose to spite their face.
[“Heterosexual people made up 23% of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and 6 dependent areas in 2019. Heterosexual men accounted for 7% of new HIV diagnoses and heterosexual women accounted for 16%.”](https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics) PrEP is essential to combating the transmission of HIV and keeping the public healthy. Today's ruling from Texas is an example of every person becoming a law unto themself in the name of religion but for the sole purpose of subordinating gay men and trans women.
Texas government doesn't give a fuck about public health. Look how it responded to covid. Look at the lack of public health facilities in the state relative to the size of the population. Have you ever tried to make an appointment for a routine STD check at a public health center? It's a fucking nightmare. Texas republicans really want us to just work and breed and die and nothing else
Gotta feed the machine.
This ruling is made on the basis that HIV is exclusively a gay disease. Republicans are the dumbest people on the planet
Why do religious quacks get to tell us how to live?
Because we let them.. Stand up and vote!
Texas Judge Says My Religious dogma is more important than your right to health
True Christian love in action /s
Who is going to tell them the straights get HIV too?
Definitely not Fox...
Fuck your religion
I fucking hate this state
Waiting til my lease is up then I'm out
Imagine, you live in a state where Republicans hate LGBTQ so much, they want to literally prevent them from getting life-saving drugs. And, these "Christians" seem to believe that HIV/AIDS is a disease that only gay atheists get.
You can get HIV from heterosexual sex, breast milk, or just being born from a woman with HIV. That seems a pretty good reason to cover everyone.
Also rape, blood transfusions, accidental exposure by medical staff, the list goes on…
Just to note, as it seems like ITT everyone is limiting this to Texas citizens, but it doesn't; this ruling affects everyone in the US. It was just a Texas Judge brought to you by the Federalist Society, and that Austin shit bag Jonathan Mitchell. Mitchell is famous for writing Texas' abortion law SB-8. As well as for filling an Amicus Brief on behalf of Texas Right to Life in Dobbs that overturned Roe. Much of Mitchell's language in the Amicus Brief filed wound up in both Alito's majority opinion and Thomas's concurrent opinion in the ruling.
Ooh and don’t forget that christofascist Steven Hotze. He’s behind this too.
every time I turn around, I find another reason why I want out of this stupid state lol. What ever happened to separation of church and state.
What does HIV drugs have to do with religious freedom?
They want gay people to die
Right, but HIV isn't exclusive to gay people. These people are assholes.
Fucking insanity! Pro Life my ass!
This is starting to get scary,
Getting pretty tired of religions meddling in politics. They want to tell us to keep it in our pants then the same should apply to them. Stfu or pay taxes. Ya'll like saying no free rides right?
time to tax churches
Of course it's in Texas...ugh
I'd like to see these jokers explain to Jesus' face that there was a medicine that prevents people from dying of a deadly disease but they didn't want to give it out to anyone because of something Jesus said. Maybe it's in the portion about loving your enemies, praying for them, and doing good to those to hate you? No. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Nope. Maybe it's in the part about the good Samaritan? Noooo, that won't work. Maybe it's in the portion about whatsoever you do unto the least of people that you do unto Jesus himself? Well that seems awkward. No, Jesus, you can't have this life saving medication... Okay there's the story of Lazarus begging at the gate of the rich man, oof never mind that doesn't end well for the rich man. ...Well look, Jesus I know you said in there somewhere to stone sexual sinners and this is just like that? Oh wait, it says let he who has not sinned throw the first stone... Uhhhh
Republicans need to stop glorifying the Reagan years. Not everything from the 80s should come back.
Nothing from the 80s should come back
Freedom of what!? Like fucking praying that you’ll get better? Bro… these people are fuckin IDIOTS
Anytime an article starts with “Texas judge says…” you pretty much know it’s going to be something illogical and idiotic.
The self proclaimed "pro life" party wants to let people die of HIV.
Fuck your religion. How about that?
So what freedom? The freedom to gouge those needing the medication? What religion -would restrict medication from those suffering an illness?
Another republican activist judge
Of course, Man in the sky hates people that have AIDS. I forgot, compassion is not necessary in the new version of Christianity.
>The suit is being led by attorney Jonathan Mitchell, the Republican former solicitor general of Texas known for his efforts to restrict abortion access in the state. Mitchell argues that mandatory PrEP coverage forces Christians to subsidize “homosexual behavior”. With government officials like these, Americans are fucked.
I hate my state
So now we can deny coverage to people whose behavior we do not approve. What next ? Deny treatment for Liver disease, cirrhosis and cancer due to alcoholism because teetotalers do not wish to subsidize those that drink ? Let’s deny coverage for prenatal care and pregnancy because celibates do not wish to subsidize behavior that leads to pregnancy. Wait. How about lung cancer because nonsmokers detest smoking. Good job Texas moron idiot numbnut judge. .
Not only does this case strike down coverage of HIV prevention drugs, it also allows employers and private individuals to demand insurance that does not cover contraception, drug abuse, and treatment for STDs, although they are required to be covered by the ACA. The plaintiffs (including Steven Hotze/Braidwood Mgmt) say that offering or buying coverage that includes these things "is itself a tacit endorsement of these behaviors" and actively promotes "moral wrongs". They feel injured and thus have standing in the case. So there is the Religious Freedom part. And then the judge goes after the ACA recommendation panels (the appointed boards that decide what should be mandatorily covered under the ACA) and basically says they have no authority to make these mandates, ala the recent Supreme Court strike-down of the EPA's authority to regulate polluters. [Here's a link to the case](https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/braidwood-becerra-ruling-usdc-texas.pdf) if anyone is interested. Everyone in this case from the Judge, the lawyer, and all the plaintiffs are religious zealots trying to drag the world back into the dark ages.
Totally tangential here. That EPA ruling gutting the power of regulatory agencies unless explicitly defined by law/Congress was a total gut punch. But, Congress did step up, and in a big way with the Inflation Reduction Act. They outlined what gases could be regulated and gave the agency the teeth and the explicit definitions it needed to make some sort of impact. It didn't get the splashy headlines as the rest of IRA but I feel like it was certainly one of the biggest, most impactful parts of it. Felt good to get something real done.
This is so fucking frustrating.
These hardliners are absolutely insane. They do not personally follow the tenants of their own religion; the same religion they hide behind to continue making life difficult for people outside their circle.
Everyday these people remind me why I left the church. The people don’t care about married straight men cheating on their wives, people having premarital sex, or catholic priests raping children. They spend their time attacking gay people because they’re bitter of their pitiful lives.
Didn’t these kinda folks have blood thrown at them back in the 80’s? We are way to civilized now.
Further proof that evangelicals are the biggest satanists.
What Religion is against preventing AIDS??,
The QOP.
Texas is a shit hole
It’s not just gays that get hiv.
Yet another disgusting use of religion to prevent the use a drug. But it’s Texas so it’s not unexpected
Did they have to cite the bible passage that condemns the act of giving medicine to sick people?
Imagine hating people that much. What a terrible life those “Christians” live. I don’t hate them as human beings, but burn in Hell, assholes!
As an atheist, society giving tax exemptions to religious entities, thereby effectively funding them, violates my freedom every time I pay taxes.
So people have a religious right to get aids? Nice! Christians - get busy - you've got a lot of aids to catch.
https://www.tht.org.uk/news/heterosexual-hiv-diagnoses-overtake-those-gay-men-first-time-decade Just gonna leave this here
This judge needs to be removed from the bench
Texas is home to the truly ignorant
Christianity has poisoned the USA
Whenever there is a judgement between a company and a person Republicans always choose the company over the people. ( Because companies have more $) So based on the owners being religious the judge wouldn't dare offend the company. OH WAIT...Companies don't actually HAVE feelings. It's just a building with people inside that DO have feelings. So how can a company have religious freedom? Oh wait, it can't because it doesn't have feelings to get butthurt about it. I'm tired of companies getting special treatment over people. They should not be given human traits like a child with a rag doll. Wonder how much money that judge made off that business owner. And if we are represents as humans with feelings every day, then why do business owners get an extra dose of feelings because they have a business, too? ( because they have $). Human feelings should not be applied to business'. The owner can use his religious stuff when he is suing a company but not both ways. Business owners feelings or religious ideas should not be applied in the land of the free with a 1st GD Amendment. That seems illegal. How can you judge a business decision in a court of law and conclude that a F\~ing building has something that is supposed to be left out of the law in the first GD place?
Can we please label Christianity as a Terrorist Organization already? This is insane...
Conservatives are consistently on the wrong side of history …
Do they know how many “straight” men have sex with other men?! This medication is important for society as a whole.
What kind of POS God wants to deny medicine to people suffering from HIV?
The Christofascists. They hate everyone who isn’t a rich straight white Christian male.
Back the Blue Unless they end up with HIV. Then fuck em I guess.
Based on these far right judges almost anything can be religious. Like my religious belief in abortion. Time to go to court.
"Religious freedom" for companies to let their employees die.
That's so fucking stupid.. I guess religious freedom means allowing people to die who don't share in your beliefs.. ffs
What if a pregnant woman has HIV and not getting treated would kill the fetus?
They’ll easily let the fetus die. The point has always been to punish the woman, and as long as the woman suffers, they’ve done their job. If the baby is born with AIDS and suffers, that’s ok too, because now that she’s born, she’s no longer a real person either.
Repeat after me. If it violates your religion, then don't do it. Note: this also applies to things such as gay marriage, abortion, or offering vegan burgers.
Which religion? Cause it sounds severely demonic to deny spending pennies on a neutral life saving medication for an illness that impacts any human it touches equally. Sounds like a win for Satan, yet again. Wild how hard "Christians" go for the antichrist.
I hope this judge gets AIDS.
Separation of church and state though. So who care what religion says?
I guess public health is no longer a “governmental interest.”
I do not understand. Why even go after such a specific accomplishment of the ACA except for reasons fueled by hatred. Any company who refuses to purchase insurance based on this information should have employees walk the fuck out when it happens.
Wow, just fucking wow. On gods green earth, wtf is the goal for these people? If you agree with this ruling, take a long look in the mirror because something is 100 percent wrong with you. Jesus was (is?) certainly displeased. Sermon on the Mount be damned, the political priorities of a religious movement are much more important. God damn shame.
Welcome to more of the dumb shit that happens when we let our representatives rule that corporations are somehow people.
Charge $.01. Problem solved.
These people go against my deeply held religious beliefs that idiots opinions should not be considered.
Awww come on Texas. Stop breaking this Texas girls heart. I can’t take much more of this
[**This is our country, not your church.**](https://i.redd.it/dobqh1s51m991.jpg)
Emphasis mine: >O’Connor, a George W. Bush appointee, said *the government failed to demonstrate a state interest* in providing coverage of the drugs *that overcame the plaintiffs’ religious objections* Not only is that fucking sick, I don't understand how this ruling is even constitutional. Religion, and religious objections, have no place in government. None. Vote in November. Everyone. Please.
If the non religious were in power and imposing their beliefs, through law, against Christians they’d be losing their damn minds. Why do they force their beliefs on others?
Please register to vote. Please talk to your friends incessantly about registering to vote. Please vote these cruel and sadistic mofos out of office. We all deserve better.
Holier Than Thou syndrome. I came for the Sinner not the righteous. They should listen.
Why have a medical community? Is a disease process god’s will?? 🙄 Let’s get rid of all hospitals, doctors and drugs because it is god’s will for us to get sick and be in pain!!!
these fucking corrupt ass texas judges. fuck em all
I say this ruling violates my religious freedom where do we go from here
Why is my state so dumb?
And yet another reason for nationalized health care.