How The Hobby Lobby Decision Could Undermine The Fight Against HIV/AIDS

The Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. could pose a significant threat to the fight for broader access to comprehensive treatment for HIV/AIDS. The ruling, handed down last week, held that closely held, for-profit corporations could be exempt from laws in direct conflict with their religious beliefs.

Hobby Lobby took specific issue with four forms of contraception the Affordable Care Act required it to provide its employees through its healthcare. While the bulk of the Hobby Lobby conversation has centered around religious objections to contraceptives, Media Matters points out that similar arguments could be made against Truvada, a drug just as socially polarizing.

A form of pre-exposure prophylaxis, (PrEP) Truvada has proven itself to be an overwhelmingly effective means of blocking HIV infection when taken properly. With a 99% efficacy rate, an endorsement from the CDC, and increasing deployment in public health initiatives, Truvada has the potential to be a key component in halting new HIV infection rates.

As Carlos Maza points out in Media Matters, however, the conversation around Truvada bears a striking resemblance to the debate about birth control. "[T]he Truvada debate recalls the way birth control was viewed in some quarters in the 1960s -- as an accessory to promiscuity."

CALIFORNIA: Assembly Approves Bill Mandating Condom Use In Porn Shoots

Porn performers in California must wear condoms during film shoots and their employers must provide regular testing under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Tuesday. The bill, AB1576 by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton, advanced to the Senate on a 41-12 vote, the minimum number of votes needed. The bill follows a similar mandate in Los Angeles County, approved by voters in 2012. Hall said his bill is a workplace-safety measure to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, citing recent industry-imposed moratoriums on adult film shoots after actors were diagnosed. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a sponsor of the bill, says it would pursue film producers who leave California, with a much-debated argument that porn shoots are technically illegal in most states. Last fall, the group filed a complaint about an adult film made in Florida, where California porn makers outsourced unprotected sex scenes.

Porn performers largely oppose the bill, saying its provisions violate their medical privacy.