Abortion Access Is Under Attack. Next? Our Private Health Data

I’ll
never
forget
where
I
was
on
June
24,
2022—the
day
that
the
Supreme
Court
overturned
the
constitutional
right
to
abortion,
and
I
suddenly
had
fewer
constitutional
rights
than
my
mother
and
grandmother
did.
I
had
just
left
an
Abortion
Task
Force
meeting
at
the
DCCC,
where
my
colleagues
and
I
were
strategizing
about
how
to
mobilize
voters
around
abortion
rights.
We
were
feeling
energized,
motivated,
and
prepared.

Then
I
got
a
news
alert
on
my
phone:
the

Dobbs
v.
Jackson
Women’s
Health
Organization
ruling
was
out,
and

Roe
v.
Wade
was
dead.
I
was
so
angry
that
I
was
literally
shaking.
As
one
of

the
few
women
of
reproductive
age
in
Congress,
I
instantly
knew
what
this
meant:
that
millions
of
people
would
now
be
forced
to
carry
unwanted
or
dangerous
pregnancies,
and
without
access
to
the
care
they
need,
people’s
lives
would
be
at
risk.
I
also
knew
that
MAGA
Republicans
were
far
from
over
in
their
mission
to
end
all
abortions
in
our
country.
And
today,
we
see
that’s
true
as
the
Supreme
Court
hears
a
case
that
could
impact
even
more
people
than
the

Dobbs
decision.

Today,
the
Supreme
Court
begins
oral
arguments
in


a
case
that
could
limit
access
to
mifepristone—a
commonly
used

abortion
pill
that
is
safe,
effective,
and
has
been
on
the
market
for
decades.
We
don’t
know
how
the
Court
will
rule,
but
the
decision
could
prevent
mifepristone
from
being
mailed
to
patients,
require
multiple
in-person
doctor
visits
for
a
prescription,
or
limit
the
number
of
weeks
into
pregnancy
it
can
be
used.
Medication
abortion
makes
up


the
majority
of
all
abortions
in
the
U.S.—and
more
and
more
people
are


turning
to
telehealth
to
access
it,
so
this
decision
could
be
devastating.
Ultimately,
it
could
wipe
out
mifepristone
access
for


40
million
women,
even
in
blue
states
like
California,
which
I
represent,
despite
our
strong
abortion
protections.

These
coordinated,
systemic
attacks
on
abortion
access
have
been
in
the
making
for
decades.
But
one
of
the
biggest
differences
between
now
and
the
pre-Roe
era
is
that
there’s
an
entire,
unregulated
digital
marketplace
that
exists
to
collect
and
profit
from
our
personal
information,
including
our
health
data.
Right
now,
most
state
laws
target
abortion
providers
or
people
assisting
people
seeking
abortion.
But
it’s
only
a
matter
of
time
until
laws
start
targeting
abortion-seekers
themselves.
We
need
to
recognize
that
our
vulnerable
consumer
data
will
be
one
of
the
best
ways
MAGA
Republicans
have
to
investigate
and
prosecute
people
seeking
abortions,
as
well
as
those
trying
to
help
them.
And
that’s
because
there
are


almost
no
federal
protections
for
reproductive
health
data
in
the
consumer
marketplace.
It’s
not
even
protected
by
HIPAA.

The
information
you
leave
behind
in
your
period
and
fertility
tracking
apps,
ride-sharing
apps,
search
and
browsing
history,
location
data,
and
more
can
be


sold
and
shared
without
your
consent
and
weaponized
by
law
enforcement.
So
depending
on
how
the
Supreme
Court
rules,
if
you’re
searching
for
mifepristone
online,
visiting
a
website
that
provides
it,
or
messaging
about
it
with
a
friend—all
of
that
information
could
be
vulnerable
and
used
to
enforce
anti-abortion
laws.

That’s
why
I
introduced
the
My
Body,
My
Data
Act
to
create
a
new
national
standard
to
protect
our
reproductive
and
sexual
health
data.
Under
my
bill,
companies
can
only
collect
and
retain
information
that
is
strictly
needed
to
provide
their
services.
That
means
if
you
use
a
period
or
fertility-tracking
app,
a
company
couldn’t,
for
instance,
also
store
your
location
data.
You’d
also
be
able
to
ask
companies
to
delete
your
data
at
any
time,
and
they
couldn’t
sell
or
share
it.
You’d
also
have
the
power
to
sue
companies
if
you
think
they’re
misusing
your
data.

We’ve
already
seen
this
personal
information
weaponized
in
the
post-Roe
era,
and
knowing
MAGA
Republicans,
they’ll
only
get
more
savvy
and
creative
in
finding
new
ways
to
obtain
this
information
and
wield
it.
In
2022,
police


used
Facebook
messages
between
a
mother
and
daughter
in
Nebraska
as
evidence
to
prosecute
an
abortion
that
was
illegal
under
state
law.
Last
year,
a
data
broker


shared
cell
phone
data
with
an
anti-abortion
political
group
that
then
dispensed
disinformation
about
reproductive
health
to
people
who
visited
600
abortion
clinics
in
48
states.
And
they’re
just
getting
started.

My
bill
is
necessary
to
win
this
next
generation
of
abortion
battles,
because
they
will
be
markedly
different
from
the
battles
fought
by
our
predecessors.
As
a
35-year-old
millennial,
I
live
so
much
of
my
life
online,
as
do
Gen
Z
and
Gen
Alpha.
It’s
normal
for
us
to
buy
groceries
online,
shop
online,
talk
to
our
family
and
friends
online,
and
yes,
access
and
research
our
health
care
options
online.
We
shouldn’t
have
to
sacrifice
connectivity
and
convenience
out
of
fear
that
our
online
activity
will
be
weaponized
against
us
or
used
to
restrict
our
bodily
autonomy.

The
fight
for
our
abortion
rights
is
waging
on,
and
we
need
to
get
ahead
of
it.

Rep.
Sara
Jacobs
represents
California’s
51st
congressional
district
and
is
running
for
re-election.