9/14/2022 10:30 a.m. 

U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined colleagues Tuesday calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to take immediate action to strengthen federal privacy protections regarding abortion and other reproductive services,

The senators said, additionally, the department needs to bolster enforcement of those protections, educate providers about their obligations, and ensure patients understand their rights.

The letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra, said, “Our nation faces a crisis in access to reproductive health services, and some states have already begun to investigate and punish women seeking abortion care. It is critical that HHS take all available action to fully protect women’s privacy and their ability to safely and confidentially seek medical care.”

The letter continued, “To safeguard the privacy of women’s personal health care decisions and ensure patients feel safe seeking medical care, including reproductive health care, we urge you to quickly initiate the rulemaking process to strengthen privacy protections for reproductive health information.”

Since the Dobbs decision, the new patchwork of state abortion bans has caused widespread confusion among health care providers over whether they are required to turn over patients’ health information to state and local law enforcement.

The senators said this confusion fundamentally threatens women’s health, as patients may delay or avoid seeking the care they need out of fear their sensitive health information could be weaponized against them.

In recent weeks, states have investigated and sought to punish patients and providers for seeking and providing abortion care.

For a full copy of the letter, click HERE.