Saturday, February 26, 2005
Anti-Choice Kansas Attorney General Seeks To Violate Confidentiality of Women's Medical Records
In the most transparent attempt to do an end run around federal law and to the try to shroud it in a fishing expedition ostensibly to try and snare pedophiles, the Kansas Attorney General is subpeonaing records from two abortion clinics in the state. Ah, a page taken from the Ashcroft intimidate your opposition book. A man who has ran on a Anti-Abortion platform feels he has to hide his agenda? These folks are the worst liars, especially when they don't have to. This from KOS:
Anti-Choice Kansas Attorney General Seeks To Violate Confidentiality of Women's Medical Records
by Armando
Fri Feb 25th, 2005 at 06:21:08 PST
Exemplifying the unlimited indecency of some Republicans, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline demonstrates his fascist tendencies:
Attorney General Phill Kline, a Republican who has made fighting abortion a staple of his two years in the post, is demanding the complete medical files of scores of women and girls who had late-term abortions, saying on Thursday that he needs the information to prosecute criminal cases. Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue said the broad investigation, backed by a judge's subpoena [NYT, how about providing a name here? Who is this scandalous judge?], is the first of its kind in pursuit of criminal charges, although the federal Justice Department has unsuccessfully sought similar records in its defense of a ban on a procedure sometimes used to end pregnancies after the first trimester that doctors call intact dilation and extraction and that critics call partial-birth abortion.
Kansas is one of 31 states that have passed laws to ban or restrict the procedure. But Kansas does not ban it outright, allowing such abortions if women's health is endangered. Mr. Kline's efforts to obtain records from abortion clinics follows his failed attempt last year to require the state's health workers to report any sexual activity of girls younger than 16, the age of legal consent in Kansas.
Health-care providers sued, and a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order. Mr. Kline's new investigation could yield similar records. His effort became public this week when two clinics whose records are being subpoenaed filed a brief in State Supreme Court to block what they called a "secret inquisition" and "fishing expedition" that threatened the doctor-patient privilege and women's constitutional rights.
Noting that personal details like marital status, race, employment history and emergency contacts are in the records, lawyers for the clinics asked, "How can a woman's method of birth control or prior history of abortions or use of drugs and medications be relevant?"
I don't use the word fascist lightly - but what else can you call this? This is an outrage. What does Kansas think of this man? What do Republicans think of him?
Anti-Choice Kansas Attorney General Seeks To Violate Confidentiality of Women's Medical Records
by Armando
Fri Feb 25th, 2005 at 06:21:08 PST
Exemplifying the unlimited indecency of some Republicans, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline demonstrates his fascist tendencies:
Attorney General Phill Kline, a Republican who has made fighting abortion a staple of his two years in the post, is demanding the complete medical files of scores of women and girls who had late-term abortions, saying on Thursday that he needs the information to prosecute criminal cases. Advocates on both sides of the abortion issue said the broad investigation, backed by a judge's subpoena [NYT, how about providing a name here? Who is this scandalous judge?], is the first of its kind in pursuit of criminal charges, although the federal Justice Department has unsuccessfully sought similar records in its defense of a ban on a procedure sometimes used to end pregnancies after the first trimester that doctors call intact dilation and extraction and that critics call partial-birth abortion.
Kansas is one of 31 states that have passed laws to ban or restrict the procedure. But Kansas does not ban it outright, allowing such abortions if women's health is endangered. Mr. Kline's efforts to obtain records from abortion clinics follows his failed attempt last year to require the state's health workers to report any sexual activity of girls younger than 16, the age of legal consent in Kansas.
Health-care providers sued, and a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order. Mr. Kline's new investigation could yield similar records. His effort became public this week when two clinics whose records are being subpoenaed filed a brief in State Supreme Court to block what they called a "secret inquisition" and "fishing expedition" that threatened the doctor-patient privilege and women's constitutional rights.
Noting that personal details like marital status, race, employment history and emergency contacts are in the records, lawyers for the clinics asked, "How can a woman's method of birth control or prior history of abortions or use of drugs and medications be relevant?"
I don't use the word fascist lightly - but what else can you call this? This is an outrage. What does Kansas think of this man? What do Republicans think of him?
