Biden Administration Strengthens Women’s Privacy Protection for abortion in New Health Rule

Biden Administration Strengthens Women's Privacy Protection
Biden Administration Strengthens Women's Privacy Protection. Credit | REUTERS

United States: President Biden administration issued a final rule on Monday seeking to strengthen women’s privacy by banning disclosure of protected health information as far as reproductive health is concerned.

New Rule

The U.S. (HHS) Office for Civil Rights has released a new rule that, when opened in a new tab, enhances the terms of the Health Insurance Portability Act which was first came into action in 1996 (HIPAA) privacy rule, as reported by Reuters.

It seeks to safeguard the women who reside in states where abortion is not legal but travel out of state to get the procedure, a practice that is already done by many thousands of women, according to the findings of the research.

The law also safeguards insurance companies, medical professionals, and other organizations that carry out or finance abortions.

Protecting Women Accessing Out-of-State Reproductive Healthcare

“Each and every American still has a right to their privacy, especially when it comes to their very private, very personal health information,” Secretary of HHS Xavier Becerra said at a news conference announcing the rule.

Limitations and Scope of the Rule

It could only be used as a source of information in cases when the information served the purpose of identifying, investigating, or prosecuting individuals, providers, or others seeking, providing, or enabling reproductive healthcare, including abortions, as reported by Reuters.

The limitation only concerns instances where the care was rendered in accordance with the law. It, therefore, does not apply for abortions conducted in states where the law forbids the procedure, e.g., but it is still applicable for residents of the state who have an out-of-state abortion.