State Attorneys General Challenge Biden Admin’s New Privacy Rule on Abortions

State Attorneys General Challenge Biden Admin’s New Privacy Rule on Abortions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) building is seen in Washington on July 22, 2019. Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images
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Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and 18 other state attorneys general are challenging a proposed change to federal privacy laws that would prevent states from investigating violations of state abortion laws.

In a June 16 letter (pdf), Ms. Fitch, a Republican, called on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to withdraw a proposed change to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountancy Act (HIPAA). Under the proposed change, state authorities would not have access to personal health information about abortions performed in states where the procedure is legal.