« New Reggae Tracks | Main | "w00t" »
Kansas leads the way
March 08, 2005 ( life )
Kansas, which brought us past gems such as:
"Where is the evidence for that canine-looking creature that somehow has turned into a porpoise-looking creature, or that cow that has somehow turned into a whale, or that dinosaur that has somehow turned into a bird? I haven't seen that evidence"
--Linda Holloway, chair, Kansas Board of Education, 1999
Now has a new "first":
Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has demanded that clinics hand over records of nearly 90 women who had abortions.He is seeking the women's names, sexual history and medical details, saying he wants to investigate possible child rape or illegal abortions.
But the clinics involved accuse Mr Kline, an abortion opponent, of trying to launch a "secret inquisition".
They say he is "fishing" rather than investigating a specific crime and want the state Supreme Court to intervene.Mr Kline began the inquiry in October but it only became public when the clinics filed an appeal against a court order to hand over the records.
In the appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court the two clinics, which have not been named, said the records contained "the most intensely private information a woman can disclose", adding that much of the information would be irrelevant in any criminal investigation.
If the records were disclosed, the claim continued, "the logical and natural progression of this action could well be a knock on the door of a woman... by agents of the attorney general who seek to inquire into her personal, medical, sexual, or legal history".
Mr Kline told reporters at a brief news conference that he requested the information to uncover evidence that could be used in investigations that could include child rape.
"When a 10, 11 or 12-year-old is pregnant, under Kansas law that child has been raped," he said.
"I have the duty to investigate and prosecute child rape in order to protect Kansas children."
Me, I'd like to see every instance of viagra/cialis prescriptions among the Kansas representatives.
Honestly, did we go through the administrative pain of the HIPAA to regulate and manage medical privacy only to have our most private details subpoenaed and made into public record?
Posted by griffjon at March 8, 2005 08:37 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)