KS Abortion Rules Spark Privacy Fears

The Huffington Post reports:

Abortion-rights supporters worried Tuesday that regulations Kansas is trying to enact would give the state health department unfettered access to patient medical records and suggested it could endanger the privacy of women who've terminated pregnancies.

Supporters of the new rules said such concerns are unfounded because state law contains protections against information about patients from becoming public. One anti-abortion leader said the abortion providers and their allies are trying to stir up privacy fears to avoid scrutiny of their operations.

The rules took effect Friday, but a federal judge blocked their enforcement later that day, until a lawsuit involving two of the state's three abortion providers is resolved. A new state law, also blocked by the judge, requires providers to obtain a special annual license, while the health department regulations specify what drugs and equipment they must stock and set standards for room sizes and temperatures, among other things.

One regulation says "all records shall be available at the facility for inspection" by the secretary of health and environment or his staff. Abortion-rights advocates said giving such access allows health department officials to review highly personal information, and they don't trust Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's administration because he is a strong opponent of abortion.