Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall signed a letter that said states need to have access to medical information for people who travel out of state for abortions or gender-affirming health care.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch wrote the letter last month to oppose proposed federal rules that would shield that information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Marshall was one of 19 attorneys general who signed.
After the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year, Alabama outlawed abortion. Women seeking to terminate pregnancies must travel out-of-state to get access to legal abortion services. The new federal rules would prevent that information from being disclosed to Alabama investigators.
In April, the White House announced the plan to protect reproductive health information.
“The rule would prevent an individual’s information from being disclosed to investigate, sue, or prosecute an individual, a health care provider, or a loved one simply because that person sought, obtained, provided, or facilitated legal reproductive health care, including abortion,” according to a fact sheet issued by the administration of President Joe Biden.
Source : AL
