Judge: Ind. May See Minors' Medical Files(Planned Parenthood)

[maddezmom]

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 31, 2005
Filed at 9:15 p.m. ET

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- An Indiana judge ruled Tuesday that Planned Parenthood of Indiana must turn over to the state the medical records of its patients under 14.

Marion County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Johnson sided with the Indiana attorney general's office in its quest to examine the medical records of 84 young patients.

However, the state said it will not press the matter and seek the records until all appeals have run their course.

''It would be our intent to wait until the process has worked itself through,'' said Staci Schneider, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Steve Carter.

~snip~
more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Minors-Privacy-Lawsuit.html

[Trillo]

1. How much are these records worth?

Are any private contractors ever going to get their hands on them after the state confiscates the records?

[Richard Steele]

2. This is bullshit; WTF was that judge thinking?

There is NO 'probable cause'; Carter claims he wants the records "just in case" they might be evidence of some heretofore UNKNOWN crime.

On the face of it, his own explanation is THE VERY DEFINITION of an illegal "fishing expedition".

And his real reasons are actually much more sinister. This is just another HARASSMENT ACTION in the ongoing effort to see Women's rights (and ALL our Privacy rights) die the 'Death of a Thousand Cuts'.

Carter is a fascist, misogynist, pandering-for-self-glory FUCKWAD who would be kicked out of office in any FREE nation.

[pfitz59]

3. no..no...no!!!!!!

they always pick on the weak and the innocent. leave these girls alone!

[Roland99]

4. IN's Atty General been hanging out in Kansas lately?

[cally]

5. How can a state insist on seeing private medical records?

Wouldn't the parents or guardians have to release them? Even if they didn't have parental permission for the abortion, wouldn't the girls have the rights of an adult and rights to privacy? What's next--state can demand medical records of anyone they think may use drugs or abuse alcohol? This is such a slippery slope.

I know most right to lifers don't see this but this threatens all medical privacy. This isn't just about abortion but medical privacy.
:scared:

[maddezmom]

6. NYT- Planned Parenthood Is Told to Show Children's Files

By MONICA DAVEY
Published: June 1, 2005
CHICAGO, May 31 - Planned Parenthood of Indiana has to show state investigators the medical records of some of its youngest patients, a judge ruled on Tuesday. The judge rejected the organization's contention that disclosing such records could have a chilling effect on patients across the state.

Since March, Attorney General Steve Carter has been seeking the records of more than 80 patients younger than 14, saying his Medicaid fraud unit is trying to determine whether children have been neglected because molesting incidents were not reported to the authorities as required. Under Indiana law, anyone under 14 who is sexually active is considered a victim of sexual abuse, and health providers are required to report such cases to the state authorities.

In his ruling, Judge Kenneth H. Johnson of Marion Superior Court denied the Planned Parenthood request for a preliminary injunction against Mr. Carter's office, which has obtained parts of 8 patients' records and is seeking the records of 76 others.

"The great public interest in the reporting, investigation and prosecution of child abuse trumps even the patient's interest in privileged communication with her physician, because in the end, both the patient and the state are benefited by the disclosure," Judge Johnson wrote in a 23-page decision.

~snip~
more: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/01/national/01indiana.html

[atommom]

7. Very similar to what Kansas' AG is trying to do.... demanding records

to look for evidence of possible crime. But our AG wants records from patients of all ages who had late-term abortions, not just records from underage girls (the group he's supposedly trying to "protect" from statutory rape). I see all of these fishing expeditions as highly suspect, and no, I don't think it's coincidence that the same thing is happening in multiple states. This has been planned for some time.

[BlueIris]

8. Sick bastards.

I've been enraged by these threads all week, don't know why this is the one I would choose to contribute to, (maybe because it's filled with the most sane posters) but could these people please GET LIVES? I know, I know, there are ten thousand other horrible things to say about this and all other attacks on choice at this time, but that's all I got for now. I'm just going to go back to having an apoplectic episode now.

SICK BASTARDS.