DOJ Wants to Scour Hospital Records for Evidence of D&X's

[BurtWorm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/12/politics/12ABOR.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=

February 12, 2004
Justice Dept. Seeks Hospitals' Records of Some Abortions
By ERIC LICHTBLAU

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 ? The Justice Department is demanding that at least six hospitals in New York City, Philadelphia and elsewhere turn over hundreds of patient medical records on certain abortions performed there.

Lawyers for the department say they need the records to defend a new law that prohibits what opponents call partial-birth abortions. A group of doctors at hospitals nationwide have challenged the law, enacted last November, arguing that it bars them from performing medically needed abortions.

The department wants to examine the medical histories for what could amount to dozens of the doctors' patients in the last three years to determine, in part, whether the procedure, known medically as intact dilation and extraction, was in fact medically necessary, government lawyers said.

But hospital administrators are balking because they say the highly unusual demand would violate the privacy rights of their patients, and the standoff has resulted in clashing interpretations from federal judges in recent days about whether the Justice Department has a right to see the files.

A federal judge in Manhattan last week allowed the subpoenas to go forward and threatened to impose penalties, and perhaps even lift a temporary ban he had imposed on the government's new abortion restrictions, if the records were not turned over.

[kitkatrose]

1. Jesus Christ!

Don't these people have anything else to do with their pathetic lives than to interfere with women's reproductive lives?

[drdigi420]

2. only on sunday

thats when they gather to compare clothing

[Leilani]

3. Unbelievable

Nazi Germany, anybody?

[MI Cherie]

4. Coming soon ...

... women suffering miscarriage will also be under suspicion.

[tom_paine]

10. "The Handmaiden's Tale"

Remember when that seemed a flight of scary fantasy as opposed to being a very real possible future of Imperial Amerika?

I do, and I miss those days so very much...

[kitkatrose]

5. Kick

:kick:

[lapislzi]

6. Are we looking at retroactive prosecutions here?

This is scary.

Just say no to crotch doggies.

[BurtWorm]

8. That's what it looks like.

Or are they digging for some other reason? Assembling a database of names? Who knows?

[Bandit]

7. You think Rush is paying attention?

Isn't it odd that right-wingnuts want Rush's medical records kept private but want these people's to be opened up. I guess it all depends on who's ox is being "Gored". Never has been any consistancy with these folks.

[Jacobin]

9. Should be good for the Canadian health care system!