Planned Parenthood Denounces Record Search

[Kadie]

Planned Parenthood Denounces Record Search
By SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

(03-23) 15:49 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --


Planned Parenthood officials charged Wednesday that efforts by two state attorneys general to seize patient medical records from the organization's clinics are aimed at discouraging women from seeking abortions and other reproductive health care.


Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline and his Indiana counterpart, Steve Carter, deny that's the case. They say the documents are needed for investigations of child sexual abuse and — in Kansas — possible illegal late-term abortions.


Kline is seeking the medical files of about 90 women and girls from two abortion clinics, which are contesting on privacy grounds.


Planned Parenthood sued the state of Indiana last week to stop the seizure of medical records there, saying investigators were on a "fishing expedition," possibly to identify the partners of sexually active 12- and 13-year-olds. None of the records requested in Indiana involved abortions.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/23/national/w154926S20.DTL

[atommom]

1. They really do need to put a stop to this, before the wingnuts

get a foothold. In Kansas, the records in question are from late-term abortions only, and few of those patients are underage. Kline is piously insisting that he just wants to stop sex crimes against underage girls .... I don't know anyone that believes him.

[jean]

2. Jeb Bush could tell them how to rescue the uteri of those underage girls

and hold them hostage. Sorry. I am so sick of regressive Republican intrusion into - - - everything.

[NNN0LHI]

3. Planned Parenthood Officials Denounce Pursuit of Patient Medical Records

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB3R2F6O6E.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Planned Parenthood officials charged Wednesday that efforts by two state attorneys general to seize patient medical records from the organization's clinics are aimed at discouraging women from seeking abortions and other reproductive health care.

Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline and his Indiana counterpart, Steve Carter, deny that's the case. They say the documents are needed for investigations of child sexual abuse and - in Kansas - possible illegal late-term abortions.

Kline is seeking the medical files of about 90 women and girls from two abortion clinics, which are contesting on privacy grounds.

Planned Parenthood sued the state of Indiana last week to stop the seizure of medical records there, saying investigators were on a "fishing expedition," possibly to identify the partners of sexually active 12- and 13-year-olds. None of the records requested in Indiana involved abortions.

more

[DeepModem Mom]

4. Outrageous!

A good number of old-time Republicans were/are active in Planned Parenthood. Maybe this is another issue that will wake up some folks.

[Voltaire99]

5. I'm not against these searches if more NASCAR dads will vote for us!

Sorry, couldn't resist. My evil Pandering Centrist Twin gained control of the keyboard for a moment. ;-)

Of course this invasion of privacy is despicable. This is precisely where the Bush state is heading, toward disemboweling liberties--not of everyone, just of its opponents.

[atommom]

6. Group says attorney general part of trend to attack medical privacy

A new story about these cases, focusing on the medical privacy aspect....

Pearl said efforts by Kline and his counterpart in Indiana to subpoena records of abortion clinic patients were part of a trend by politically motivated, anti-abortion prosecutors who want to scare women away from seeking care protected by the Constitution.

Evans assured reporters that if Kline had sought specific, narrowly defined information -- such as whether child-abuse had been properly reported or whether required pre-abortion ultrasound tests had been performed -- it would have been provided within a confidential format.

"We respond to this kind of request -- requests that are narrow in focus -- all the time. They're routine," Evans said. To obtain this information, he said, "(Kline) doesn't need to go through somebody's entire medical file to get that information."

"It's simply wrong to expect any doctor to turn over medical records of dozens of patients based on the hunch -- or I suspect in this case the hope -- of the attorney general that he might find evidence of crimes," said Peter Brownlie, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood's clinic in Overland Park.

http://ljworld.com/section/legislature/story/199896