New Yorkers overwhelmingly support the right to abortion. We saw this in November when voters strongly supported Prop 1, which wrote abortion protections into our state constitution. The win came despite a well-funded campaign of misinformation meant to deceive and frighten us.
Now states that are hostile to abortion and reproductive rights, aided by the Trump administration, are doing everything they can to eliminate access to abortion across the country. One of the ways they can try to do this is by using law enforcement and surveillance technology against those who provide, seek, receive and support abortion care. And they can use our own electronic health data to do it.
Gov. Kathy Hochul must help defend against this oncoming attack by signing the New York Health Information Privacy Act, a bill passed on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which would give New Yorkers control over our electronic health information.
When accessing abortion, attending routine doctor’s visits or searching for health information, no one receives, provides or helps others access health care without leaving a digital trail. This information is collected through period tracking and fitness apps, phone records, search engines and other tools that are part of our modern life. It’s nearly impossible to avoid producing this data. Some might think this sensitive personal information is protected, but here’s the scary truth: it’s not. Tech companies who stand to profit from our data gobble it up, and hostile states or federal governments can get those companies to hand it over to them too.
