Update On Kansas Madness

As an update to Jessica’s post yesterday on Kansas Attorney General’s demand for the medical records of ninety women who have received abortions, I thought I’d delve a bit deeper into this nonsense.
Attorney General Phil Kline was actually permitted by a district judge in October to see these private files, but two medical clinics in Kansas have brought the case to the Supreme Court, reports ABC News. The clinics say that Kline demanded complete and unedited medical records of women who sought abortions at least 22 weeks into their pregnancies, as well as girls 15 years and under who sought abortions.
No hearing has been scheduled for the clinics’ appeal, but if the higher courts don’t intervene, women who have obtained abortions may have government agents at their door. There may even be a gag order that prevents the clinics from even telling these women that their records are being exposed. So not only will they be stripped of their privacy rights, but won’t even know about it?? The fact that this guy even has a shot at this makes me feel like I’m in the fucking twilight zone.
An opponent of abortion, Kline also attempted to make it a requirement for health care professionals to report underage sexual activity. Luckily a federal judge blocked him, but the case is yet to be resolved. Kline commented on Thursday, “I have a duty to investigate and prosecute child rape and other crimes in order to protect Kansas children.”
Child rape? Kansas law prohibits teenagers under 16 to engage in sexual activity, but associating “underage sexual activity” with “child rape” is a bit of a stretch. I also don’t doubt that one of these “other crimes” is late-term abortion.
Additionally, the fact that he is demanding their personal information, such as names, details of their sex history, and psychological profiles makes it a bit obvious what the agenda is here. Not only is this a gross violation of patients’ rights, but a blatant strategy to attack reproductive rights.