medical records privacy

Rest assured, the new CDC director thinks ‘abortion surveillance’ is essential – opinion

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“Erica Schwartz’s testimony … should alarm everyone who believes private medical decisions belong to patients, not politicians,” Mini Timmaraju, the president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, said in a statement. She added that, under the Trump administration, “abortion surveillance could be expanded or weaponized to collect more intrusive information, spread disinformation about reproductive … Read more

The rising toll of Florida’s abortion ban

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For many reasons, even those seeking an abortion before six weeks of gestation can be difficult. Most recently, this year, policymakers in Florida introduced several bills that would increase a culture of surveillance around pregnancy and abortion care. Advocates for ending the abortion ban say it’s not only a health issue, but also a human … Read more

Court ruling fuels new push to restrict abortion pills by mail

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But the medication in question are not used exclusively for abortion. Doctors routinely prescribe them for miscarriage management, endometriosis, fibroids, complications from Cushing’s disease and other serious reproductive health conditions, where they can prevent infection or reduce severe pain. and Enforcement is unlikely to involve inspecting packages. Instead, it would likely focus on providers, telehealth … Read more

Apps can be weaponized to criminalize those seeking abortion care. Under Trump, it could get worse

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Researchers also bring attention to big tech’s business model and how it “facilitates mass surveillance of users seeking reproductive health care.” For example, people are frequently forced to consent to companies having permission to collecting and use their data, or they’re denied access to the platform. Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade with the … Read more

Arizona governor calls for repeal of state law requiring annual abortion report

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The Arizona governor, Katie Hobbs, is calling for legislators to repeal the state law that requires an annual abortion report, saying that it infringes on patients’ privacy, which echoes other Democratic officials’ push to reduce or eliminate such requirements. Read more at The Guardian    

‘This victory is a mandate’: rightwing groups ready with policy proposals for new Trump administration

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Abortion access is one area where Trump and the project could differ, though Trump’s plans for abortion have been muddled. The project wants to end federal approval of abortion pills, track abortion data and root out anything that is seen as promoting abortion as healthcare. It doesn’t call for a direct ban on the procedure, … Read more

Trump’s return to White House means abortion rights face new chapter of peril

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Project 2025, which was primarily crafted by the influential thinktank the Heritage Foundation but backed by more than 100 conservative groups, includes a laundry list of anti-abortion policies. It suggests rolling back the FDA’s approval of abortion pills, increasing CDC “surveillance” of abortion and pregnancy loss to police ban violations, and stripping federal funding from … Read more

“Pro-life” Cheney says GOP-led states’ post-Roe moves “not sustainable”

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“When women are facing situations where they can’t get the care they need, where in places like Texas, for example, the attorney general is talking about suing, is suing, to get access to women’s medical records … that’s not sustainable for us as a country and it has to change.” Read more at Axios

Crisis pregnancy center’s forms give rare insight into anti-abortion practices

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The free organizations offer counseling while trying to dissuade women from having an abortion. They promise to protect health data but aren’t bound by federal privacy law. Read more at NBC News  

Georgia Supreme Court reinstates state’s 6-week abortion ban

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The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday reinstated the state’s six-week abortion ban while it reviews an appeal from the state of a lower court ruling that had struck down the law. ….. The state Supreme Court’s decision, however, left in place the lower court’s ruling blocking a separate provision of the law that had given … Read more