Annals of Medical Privacy

You might recall that the attorneys general of Kansas and Indiana received national attention for their efforts to examine medical records from abortion clinics. They said they needed the information to investigate cases of child rape and other crimes, but critics said they were not only violating patient privacy but seeking to intimidate abortion providers.

Well, Phill Kline, the Kansas attorney general, who had some success after a two-year quest for such records, lost his reelection bid last month. And Steve Carter, the Indiana AG, has dropped his pursuit as part of a settlement with Planned Parenthood, following a court ruling that privacy trumps his prosecutorial prerogatives.

That would seem to end this issue for the time being. It will be interesting to see whether any other AGs or other prosecutors take this up again.