Washington governor signs bill protecting abortion data
Christopher Hutton
Video Embed
Washington state adopted a first-of-its-kind law that will protect consumer health data collected by technology, as well as telehealth data, including the location data of abortion clinic visits.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed the My Health, My Data Act into law on Thursday as part of a larger legislative package meant to protect abortion rights in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The bill will restrict the gathering and sharing of health data by search engines and health trackers for advertising or other purposes without explicit consent from the consumer. It will also give users privacy rights over their health data, including the right to ask for it to be erased.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE SALES BANNED IN WASHINGTON STATE
“We are here to proclaim very vocally and very forcefully that we will not allow any state or any Trump-appointed judge to jeopardize a woman’s right of choice in the state of Washington,” Inslee said at a press event. “We know when it comes to a woman’s freedom of choice; the Evergreen State is ever-vigilant in protecting this freedom right.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The bill could be the first of several to protect abortion-related data. Democratic lawmakers in other states have proposed similar bills. Republicans have done the opposite. Lawmakers in South Carolina proposed a bill that would outlaw websites explaining how to get an abortion.
The Biden administration proposed modified Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, rules prohibiting healthcare providers from disclosing information related to a woman’s health status if its disclosure is requested to investigate, sue, or prosecute a person for providing or seeking an abortion.