A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a Biden-era rule that prevented abortion records from being accessed for investigations, finding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the former administration exceeded its powers in adopting it.
The rule was issued through the Office for Civil Rights at HHS in 2024 based on its authority to protect patient privacy via the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
It banned health care providers from disclosing to state law enforcement authorities a patient’s protected health information regarding reproductive health care for investigations of any kind.
The rule only applied to situations where the care was provided under lawful circumstances, and not in states where the procedure was banned….