In a recent letter, a group of state attorneys general — including Indiana’s Todd Rokita — oppose a potential federal rule that would shield the private health information of people who access abortion in states where it’s legal.
Abortion rights advocates decry that letter as a “disgusting overreach” designed to “scare and intimidate.”
Current federal medical privacy rules allow private information to be shared with law enforcement and government agencies for investigating possible violations of state laws or for the protection of public health.
A proposed change by the Biden administration would shield patients’ information, even from law enforcement, when it relates to reproductive health care in states where abortion is legal.
Nineteen Republican attorneys general say that proposal is based on “fear-mongering,” since no states that outlaw or heavily restrict abortion access penalize people who seek abortions.
But abortion rights advocates question why state attorneys general would want access to patients’ private health information if they weren’t planning on prosecuting them. They argue the goal is to scare patients from seeking abortions, even when legal.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.