FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AIDS United president and CEO responds to Texas court decision
Contact: Warren Gill, wgill@aidsunited.org
(202) 599-8259
WASHINGTON — In a decision that threatens to upend preventative care for millions of Americans, a federal district court judge ruled unconstitutional the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that provide lifesaving preventative care, including access to the HIV prevention medication preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
Jesse Milan Jr., J.D., president and CEO of AIDS United, responded to this decision, saying:
“Today’s decision represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the Constitution, the Affordable Care Act, religious liberty and the HIV epidemic. This judge couldn’t be more wrong, and I urge the Biden administration to move swiftly to appeal.
“HIV prevention, cancer screenings, STD tests and other preventative services are all an indispensable part of health care. They cannot be tossed aside. And who will be hit hardest by this decision? The Black and Brown people who make up nearly three-quarters of new HIV diagnoses. As a lawyer, I’m shocked by this decision. And as a Black gay man living with HIV, I’m offended and angered that a federal court issued a ruling that will intentionally stop progress toward racial and LGBTQ health equity and ending the HIV epidemic. It is truly shameful.”
AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant-making, capacity building and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV-related policy for populations and communities most impacted by the U.S. epidemic Our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $118 million to local communities, and we have leveraged more than $184 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to, syringe access, access to care, capacity-building, HIV prevention and advocacy.
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