Source: Internet no credit given

So out of Missouri, it would appear (and I say that because I am not sure that the real story is out there) that the State Dept of Health in Missouri seems to be overstepping things, just a tad.  From the Kansas City Star (funny I was a paperboy for that paper when I was a kid):

The Missouri state health director, Dr. Randall Williams, testified at a state hearing Tuesday that he kept a spreadsheet to track the menstrual periods of women who visited Planned Parenthood, an action that one lawmaker has called on the governor to investigate.

The spreadsheet, which was made at Williams’ request by the state’s main inspector, helped to identify patients who had undergone failed abortions.

The revelation came on the second day of an administrative commission hearing that will help decide whether Planned Parenthood can keep its license to perform abortions.

Missouri has one of the famous “fetal heartbeat” bills that have become all the rage in the “pro-life” legislatures in the south and southeast. Proponents of these bans are just out to force pregnancy on women. Let me take a minute to explain why.

Abortions are the source of the anger, but it doesn’t seem to stop there. They are also severely limiting any form of birth control or other reasonable family planning.  We have talked on the blog as well as on the podcast about why anyone who is genuinely pro-life should be in favor of family planning, because the life would be, well, planned and prepared. Planning also allows the pregnancy thought out and cared for which is what Planned Parenthood does. It is also something that I would find to be comforting if I were a first-time parent, you know sound prepared parenting advice.

Heartbeat bills are placing the fetal heartbeat (by ultrasound) at roughly six weeks. These impulses are not a heartbeat. These are cells sharing an electrical impulse.  At this point, if the zygote were outside the mother’s body, it would die.  The zygote has no lungs, no heartbeat, no nothing.  Sorry folks, it may be a part of the mother, but it has to breathe and have a heartbeat on its own to be living (at least from where I sit).  The bill is trying to skirt the Roe v. Wade decision that prohibits abortion bans. It also targets Planned Parenthood, which has become the caped villain in this episode and does offer abortion referrals, and some offer the abortions at the clinics.  Abortions amount to 1-3% of all the patients that show up at Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is not the problem; it is people that are obsessed with women getting and staying pregnant.  If getting pregnant is your thing? If starting a family is your thing? I am all for it. The funny thing is that you can go to Planned Parenthood to get help beginning that family, as well as well women, care. You know, maybe a happy, healthy mom and baby.

We all good on the Planned Parenthood thing? Ease up off them, I donate every year and will be starting a donation thing on the page as well.

Missouri, if you think I forgot about you…

From where I sit, there is far too much information that is being looked at by investigators for the state to retain in their database. If the state is investigating a criminal act, then, by all means, they should. However, it is a massive breach of traditional monitoring and unnecessary.  I am gobsmacked and concerned on multiple levels, the main one being a provider.  How much of my patient information is gleaned by and maintained at the State Department of Health?

I sent a request for information to the Utah DOH, and spokeswoman Jenny Johnson replied (very promptly, I may add) that the State of Utah does not maintain similar details, nor would they. The Utah DOH has a long-term commitment to keeping data essential only. Thanks, Jenny.  I am glad to see that one of the reddest of states in the union at least takes their privacy seriously.  The state is not prepared to speak about Missouri as they do not get involved in matters in other states.

As a provider, I maintain a strict standard with Protected Health Information (PHI). Even though I tell some war stories here in the blog, it would be tough for you to figure out the patient as often these stories are months old, names are changed, and no genuinely identifying conditions or situations mentioned.

I do not maintain a spreadsheet of last menstrual periods of my patients, and I would think that the state of Missouri would have to mine data specifically to do this.  Why?

I have worked for a Public Health Department, and I am proud to say that our focus was on the access to and maintenance of a healthy state.  Whether it was newborn screening, prenatal care, care management, vaccines for children, Infectious disease, the office of the medical examiner, state toxicology lab, public health laboratory, and I am quite sure that I forget departments here.  There was NOT a track womens’ periods so we can see if a law is violated section. That should never be a requirement of an organization that promotes health, and it is by far, in my opinion, way past the line of an organization that should be all for improving health, not fucking snooping.

The intrusion into a woman’s privacy needs an investigation and people need to be named that demanded this information.  There need to be fines imposed as HIPPA was most likely violated since this information has the potential for use in criminal proceedings without their knowledge.

But then, this is impotent rage, isn’t it? No one will do anything because no one is informed about the real workings and motives of the government.  These politicians continue to be elected because the electorate thinks a bit on Fox news or being interviewed favorably by Rachel Maddow is the way to decide the worth of a candidate. We are told to fear candidates and told lies about their motives. Or we are afraid to vote for a woman or a person of color. I do not care who you vote for, but please do more than listen to the talking heads give their opinions. Do your research because this is the result of not being an informed electorate. You get a state that thinks it’s ok to intrude at an insane level of your life.  Honestly, if they are tracking that, they should track how many times a day a man masturbates.

Enough rage, do the right thing and be the kind of person your mom and your dog hope you are.