logo
AHF: SCOTUS Skrmetti Ruling a ‘Triumph of Politics over Medical Science'

AHF: SCOTUS Skrmetti Ruling a ‘Triumph of Politics over Medical Science'

Business Wire2 days ago

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) issued the following statement today regarding the court's 6 to 3 ruling earlier today ruling that Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors can remain in effect. (UNITED STATES v. SKRMETTI, ATTORNEY GENERAL AND REPORTER FOR TENNESSEE, ET AL.)
'The Supreme Court decision represents the triumph of politics over medical science. Unlike the Supreme Court majority, we do not believe that medical decisions best made by doctors and families should be left up to the whims of politicians and the court."
Share
A HF statement:
'The Supreme Court decision represents the triumph of politics over medical science. Unlike the Supreme Court majority, we do not believe that medical decisions best made by doctors and families should be left up to the whims of politicians whipped up by right-wing media prejudice.'
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world's largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.3 million individuals across 48 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center's highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ditch the gym — strengthen your whole body in under 30 minutes with this workout
Ditch the gym — strengthen your whole body in under 30 minutes with this workout

Tom's Guide

timean hour ago

  • Tom's Guide

Ditch the gym — strengthen your whole body in under 30 minutes with this workout

Finding the time for a workout is challenging, even for fitness pros like me. Fortunately, it doesn't take hours a day to get stronger and build muscle — if you've got some dumbbells and a half hour, you can make major strides in your health and wellness goals. I was just cleared to resume exercise after having a baby, but fitting the gym into my schedule has been impossible. I scrolled through Instagram to find an at-home workout to do instead, and stumbled on Lauren Jayne Lawler's recent 24-minute full-body workout. Here's what I thought of her routine. Working out at home is great, but I always recommend meeting with a certified personal trainer first to learn proper exercise form and technique. If you're recently postpartum like me, always follow the recommendations of your medical team. A post shared by Laurén Janyne Lawler ♡︎ (@lauren_janyne) A photo posted by on In addition to a set of dumbbells, you'll also want to roll out a yoga mat for some cushioning. All of the exercises can be done with just two light dumbbells, but it's best to have a moderately-heavy and a heavy pair available as well. There are six exercises in this program, each done for 45 seconds in three circuits. You'll rest for 15 seconds in between each move, and rest for 30 seconds at the end of each circuit. The exercises are: When Lawler said this workout was 'full body,' she wasn't kidding. Here's what I noticed: All of the exercises in Lawler's workout are compound moves that target multiple areas at once, so you'll be working almost all of the major muscles in your body (more on the 'almost' part below). Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Compound exercises are a great option when you're limited on time. Movements like the static bridge to chest press require effort from your hamstrings, glutes, deep core, and pecs all at once — in 45 seconds, you'll have effectively worked your upper body, lower body, and core. By the time I finished my third circuit, my entire body felt fatigued. That's a pretty impressive feat given the workout's relatively short duration. I was sore the next day, but it didn't impact my normal routine, so I knew I had worked at an appropriate level. The triceps didn't get much attention in Lawler's program, at least not in the same way that the quads, glutes, biceps, and shoulders do. It's not that these muscles weren't working at all, but it was in a more supportive or stabilizing manner. I wanted to bring my triceps into action, so I altered one of Lawler's exercises a bit. During the second circuit, I added an overhead tricep extension to the overhead reverse lunge knee drive. This felt like a natural place to insert the exercise, and it didn't interrupt my flow at all. This routine is pretty comprehensive on its own, so you certainly don't have to throw in anything extra. However, you can add a tricep move and still keep the workout under half an hour. This workout's structure is similar to HIIT (or high-intensity interval training), with short exercise bursts followed by even shorter rest periods. The beauty of timed intervals is that you can go at your own pace — if you're a beginner or you want to focus on building strength, you can perform the movements more slowly. If you want a cardiovascular challenge, you can move quickly. Since I hadn't exercised in a while, I chose to do Lawler's routine at a moderate tempo. My heart rate stayed elevated the entire time, but it never got into a 'high intensity' range. This allowed me to get the best of both worlds — I was able to use heavier weights on moves like the supine grip RDL and overhead reverse lunge knee drive, while also breaking a sweat and getting a little breathless. I finished all three circuits in a little over 23 minutes, which is close to what Lawler estimates. I'd given myself a full half hour for my workout, so I got to squeeze in some stretches and mobility work at the end. Most '30-minute workouts' tend to be closer to 35 minutes in length, so I appreciated Lawler's accuracy. That being said, what usually makes these programs longer than advertised is the inclusion of a warm-up and cool-down. You can fit both into those extra six minutes.

Firefighter forced to retire early due to Parkinson's cannot sue Florida city for health benefits discrimination, U.S. Supreme Court rules
Firefighter forced to retire early due to Parkinson's cannot sue Florida city for health benefits discrimination, U.S. Supreme Court rules

CBS News

time10 hours ago

  • CBS News

Firefighter forced to retire early due to Parkinson's cannot sue Florida city for health benefits discrimination, U.S. Supreme Court rules

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled against a firefighter who retired early because of Parkinson's disease and alleged the city of Sanford violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by limiting a health-insurance subsidy. Justices upheld a decision by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the lawsuit filed by Karyn Stanley, a fire-department lieutenant who retired in 2018 at age 47 because of the effects of the disease. The dispute stemmed from Stanley losing a health-insurance subsidy two years after she retired and involved questions about whether the city violated part of the Americans with Disabilities Act aimed at preventing discrimination in employment. Friday's main opinion, written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, focused heavily on wording in the law that bars discrimination against a "qualified individual on the basis of disability." The opinion said the definition of a "qualified individual" in what is known as Title I of the law applied only to current employees or people seeking jobs. Gorsuch wrote that the law "protects people, not benefits, from discrimination. And the statute also tells us who those people are: qualified individuals, those who hold or seek a job at the time of the defendant's alleged discrimination." But Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson wrote a blistering dissent, arguing the law "says nothing — zero — about the preemployment or postemployment timing of an act of disability discrimination." "Disabled Americans who have retired from the workforce simply want to enjoy the fruits of their labor free from discrimination," she wrote. "Congress plainly protected their right to do so when it crafted Title I. Yet, the Court ignores that right today." A civil servant demanding better post-retirement health benefits Stanley began working as a firefighter for the city in 1999 but was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2016. When Stanley was hired in 1999, the city provided health-insurance subsidies up to age 65 for firefighters who retired after 25 years of service or who retired because of disabilities, according to court documents. The city changed the policy in 2003 to scale back the benefit to two years for employees who retired early because of disabilities. As a result, Stanley received the subsidy for two years after she retired, rather than up to age 65. A brief filed in the case said the end of the subsidy resulted in Stanley facing an additional $1,000 a month in health-insurance costs. Stanley challenged the city in court, but a U.S. district judge dismissed the Americans with Disabilities Act claim. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision, saying Stanley, as a former employee, could not sue under Title I of the law. The Biden administration and organizations such as the AFL-CIO, the International Association of Fire Fighters and AARP filed briefs at the Supreme Court backing Stanley. Meanwhile, groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Counties and the National League of Cities supported Sanford in briefs. Gorsuch was joined Friday in parts of his opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. He was joined in another part by Alito, Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor joined part of Jackson's dissent.

In Uganda, a tougher bicycle offers hope for better health coverage in rural areas

time12 hours ago

In Uganda, a tougher bicycle offers hope for better health coverage in rural areas

LIRA, Uganda -- The bicycle parked in Lucy Abalo's compound doesn't belong to her. Any one of the hundreds of people in her village can show up and ask to use it. A man might wish to take his pregnant wife for a checkup. A woman might need transport to pick up HIV medication. An injured child might need a trip to a hospital. 'The goodness about this bike,' Abalo said, is its availability to all. She is one of dozens of 'village doctors' in rural Uganda who recently were supplied with the Buffalo Bicycle, so called because its steel parts are reinforced to perform in areas with bad roads. World Bicycle Relief, a Chicago-based nonprofit, promotes the Buffalo Bicycle in remote parts of Africa. It collaborates with governments, non-governmental groups and others who use the bikes to improve access to health services. In Uganda, an east African country of 45 million people, efforts to market the bicycle have focused on supporting health workers like Abalo, who visits people's homes and reports any issues to authorities. As a community health extension worker, or CHEW, she has gained the trust of villagers, who can knock on her door in emergency situations. She said she helps to look after about 8,000 people in the area. And at least twice a week, she is required to report to a government-run health center about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away and assist with triaging patients. Ugandan health authorities acknowledge that one challenge for CHEWs is transportation, part of a larger burden of poverty that can leave health facilities lacking ambulances or even gas to move them. World Bicycle Relief, operating locally as Buffalo Bicycles Uganda, has collaborated with Ugandan health authorities since 2023 to equip 331 CHEWs in two of the country's 146 districts. One is Lira, 442 kilometers (274 miles) north of the capital, Kampala. Bicycles have long been ubiquitous, and many families tend to have one. Cultural norms in northern Uganda don't prohibit women from riding. While the roads in Lira town are paved, dirt paths lead into the heart of the district where farming is the main economic activity. The Buffalo Bicycle is a recent arrival. Many have never heard of it, or can't afford it. Retailing for roughly $200, it is three times more expensive than the cheapest regular bicycle — otherwise out of reach for many CHEWs, who do not yet earn a salary. The bike's promoters cite its durability in rough terrain, needing fewer trips to the mechanic as a way to save money. The Buffalo Bicycle's heavy-gauge steel frame is so strong that it comes with a five-year warranty, said Amuza Ali, a monitoring officer in Lira for Buffalo Bicycles Uganda. Abalo and others told the AP the Buffalo Bicycle felt uncomfortable to use in the beginning, with a braking system that doesn't permit carefree backpedaling. 'When I climbed on it, it wasn't that easy as I thought,' Abalo said. 'I was like, 'I am trying again to learn how to ride.'' CHEWs using the bicycles reported a 108% increase in households reached each week, and the time to reach health facilities dropped by nearly half, according to a study published in May by World Bicycle Relief. The study shows that 'mobility is not a luxury in healthcare' but a lifeline, CEO Dave Neiswander said in a statement released for the report. Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, has urged the distribution of bicycles to more CHEWs across Uganda, saying front-line health workers save an unknown number of lives each year. Abalo received her Buffalo Bicycle from the health minister last year. One of her neighbors, Babra Akello, said she has used the bicycle at least six times already. The first was for transport to an antenatal checkup. She praised Abalo's willingness to help. The bike has also been used for emergencies. One evening earlier this year, a neighbor's 4-year-old child suffered a deep cut while playing in the dirt. With the child's parents away, Abalo transported the bleeding boy to a facility where he briefly lost consciousness before being revived. 'That bike, not me, saved the life of that child,' Abalo said. 'If that bike hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store