Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Kansas Abortion Rules Spark Patient Privacy Fears

TOPEKA, Kan. — 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 have terminated pregnancies.

Supporters of the new rules called such concerns unfounded because state law contains protections against patient information 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.

A new Kansas law requiring abortion providers to obtain a special annual license – and the accompanying health department regulations – are part of a wave of new restrictions enacted across the country. Abortion opponents capitalized on the election of Republican governors or large GOP legislative majorities; Kansas has both. The state also previously drew national attention for a fierce debate over medical records and abortion patients' privacy when an attorney general investigated clinics.

The new regulations took effect Friday, but a federal judge blocked their enforcement until a lawsuit involving two of the state's three abortion providers is resolved. The rules specify what drugs and equipment they must stock and set standards for room sizes and temperatures, among other things. The judge also blocked the new licensing law.

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.

Full Article
Source: Huffington 

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