re: #23 Charles

This is one of the biggest issues that has led me to abandon the Republican Party, by the way. The obsession with dominating the lives and choices of women is repellent to me, and I can’t ignore it any more.

First off, I agree with your statement above.

In regards to what’s in the bill, and whether it violates HIPPA, I say on a first reading, no. Of course, I am neither a legislator or lawyer, but comparing what I know about disclosure in regards to HIPPA, none of the statistical questions in the bill would lead to a direct disclosure of a patient (if this info was being view on line or by a third party).

There are a few questions that may “hint” at some discernible “clues” such as “mother has other children or dependents” or “mother is a student” or “husband is unemployed.”

These are yes and no questions, and in a small community, maybe someone could say “well, Miss X was in the hospital last week and we don’t know why but she has other children and she is a student and her husband is out of work.”

But other than this kind of possible sleuthing, the statistical questions are nondescript in regards to exposing any demographics that could be used to identify the patient.

And, on page 17 (I can’t seem to clip and paste out of this PDF) there is a paragraph that covers disclosure, and this sounds a lot like a HIPPA boilerplate.

I can’t find any way in this bill would cause a direct disclosure of the patient. But like I said above, there may be something here I don’t understand or something a lawyer could point out as to being problematic.

But, bottom line, this bill does look like it is designed to make more work for the doctor, and over all, more intrusive, and in general, putting up more roadblocks to legal abortions.

(Full disclosure, I am pro-choice)