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WASHINGTON, April 13 (AP) — The White House on Wednesday proposed a new federal rule to limit how law enforcement and state officials can collect medical records when investigating women who flee their hometowns to seek abortions elsewhere.
The proposal comes amid a spate of nationwide crackdowns on abortion, as the White House moves forward with a legal challenge to a commonly used abortion drug that could upend health care delivery across the nation by Friday.
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Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters it was one of several new actions the administration is taking to counter a wave of abortion restrictions introduced since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned constitutional abortion rights. The government has also launched a hotline for people to call and ask questions about antenatal, baby and reproductive health care.
“Women in America are especially concerned about what this means for them, what it means for the people they love,” Harris said.
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The White House’s proposed rule would prohibit health care organizations from sharing personal medical records with authorities for reproductive health-related investigations in states where women have legal abortions. While medical records are protected by federal privacy laws, healthcare providers and insurers may be compelled by court order to turn over medical records.
Doctors across the country have expressed concerns about protecting this medical information from law enforcement, said Melanie Fontes Rainer, director of the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, whose office is proposing changes rule. The public can weigh in on the proposed rule for the next 60 days.
“We’ve had multiple conversations with providers, major medical associations and patient advocates about what they’re seeing locally and how the federal government can help keep medical records private,” she said in a statement.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion last year, some women living in Southern and Midwestern states that largely ban abortions now spend hours traveling to other states to get legal abortions.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Wednesday that the federal health agency’s new national phone number will provide information on prenatal, infant and abortion care and adoption. Becerra did not provide a phone number in his announcement.
The Biden administration is rolling out the new moves ahead of a tight deadline set by a Texas judge that could revoke the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, two drugs considered to be One of the most effective and safest ways to carry medication out is abortion pills.
Texas Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s order to remove the drug from the market took effect Friday unless another court steps in. The Justice Department appealed the ruling on Monday.No precedent for a single judge overturning an FDA medical decision
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the judge’s ruling could encourage others to use similar methods to challenge other FDA-approved drugs, drugs and vaccines.
“This can happen to any drug that Americans rely on, no matter how important it is or how long ago it was approved,” Garland said. briefing, warning the ruling could have knock-on effects on life-saving medicines.
Complicating matters for the Biden administration: A federal judge in Spokane, Wash., issued a competing ruling on the same day directing federal officials not to block access to the drug in at least 17 states that Democrats are suing to Keep the availability of this drug intact. The question is likely to be decided by the Supreme Court. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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