Privacy – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

25 Jul

Anti-abortion group argues that Indiana health department’s abortion records must be public

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Abortion data, Healthcare, IDOH, Indiana, Privacy, Reproductive rights, United States

In defense of its lawsuit against the state health department, a South Bend-based anti-abortion group doubled down in new court filings that related medical records do not compromise patient privacy and should be made available to the public. The ongoing lawsuit was filed in May by “Voices for Life,” which seeks to regain access to Terminated Pregnancy Reports (TPRs) that are no longer being released by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH). The state health department is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, however, maintaining that TPRs qualify as medical records and are exempt from disclosure under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, also known…

21 Jul

Check your VPN, abortion seekers. New ‘Vagina Privacy Network’ aims to keep data safe

MollyLatest News, United StatesAbortion Care, Abortion Rights, Digital privacy, Onine safety, Privacy, United States, VPN

"Two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights and data privacy advocates teamed up to launch a new kind of VPN: The Vagina Privacy Network. The campaign offers a how-to guide on protecting digital privacy for people worried their data could be used against them after they've had an abortion, particularly those in one of the 14 states that ban the procedure. The seven tips range from using encrypted messaging apps to communicating on burner phones, which campaign creator MSI Reproductive Choices has been handing out at reproductive rights marches nationwide, according to Whitney Chinogwenya, the…

09 Jul

Reproductive rights go off the map

AlanLatest NewsAbortion Monitoring, Abortion Rights, Healthcare, Privacy, United States

Top House Democrats are releasing their version of a bill that would make it illegal for companies and service providers to collect cellphone location data for patients seeking reproductive or gender affirming care. It’s the latest move by Democratic lawmakers to bolster abortion protections here with the possibility of Republican Donald Trump winning the White House in November looming.

30 Jun

Abortion surveillance isn’t new but monitoring has increased post Dobbs, activists say

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Surveillance, Healthcare, Privacy, United States

Abortion surveillance is something former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has said is up to states. But for abortion providers and advocates, surveillance and monitoring by anti-abortion activists has long been the reality. And post-Dobbs many states are actively trying to expand government surveillance.

29 Apr

HHS Amends HIPAA To Further Protect Privacy of Reproductive Health Care Informatio

AlanLatest NewsHealthcare, HHS, HIPAA, Privacy, Reproductive Health, United States

Changes to the privacy rule are likely to put regulated entities at odds with courts and law enforcement The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week released final amendments to the HIPAA Privacy Rule to further protect the privacy of protected health information (PHI) related to reproductive health care. The amendments will provide patients, health care providers, and others with greater protections from PHI being used and disclosed to conduct investigations or impose liability on those seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating reproductive health care.

23 Apr

New Biden rule protects privacy for women who get abortions

PatLatest NewsAbortion Ban, Abortion Rights, Privacy, United States

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration issued a final rule on Monday aimed at strengthening privacy protections for women seeking abortions that bans the disclosure of protected health information related to reproductive health.

17 Feb

State governments looking to protect health-related data as it’s used in abortion battle

BarbraLatest NewsAbortion Care, Abortion data, Abortion Rights, Cellphone Data, Data Privacy, Healthcare, Privacy, United States

Some state governments and federal regulators were already moving to keep individuals’ reproductive health information private when a U.S. senator’s report last week offered a new jolt, describing how cellphone location data was used to send millions of anti-abortion ads to people who visited Planned Parenthood offices.