Judge Forbids HHS From Restricting the Ability of Doctors to Report Abortion and Gender Transition Abuse

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo granted an injunction this past Sunday that will protect Texas physician Carmen Purl from new rules that restrict how doctors can protect patients from the harms of abortion and “gender transition.”

While Purl’s lawsuit is ongoing, the court’s injunction allows Purl and her medical office to continue serving patients without fear of legal action from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The legal challenge centers on the Biden administration’s HIPAA Privacy Rule, which took effect in June of this year.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that establishes standards for sharing an individual’s private health information without their consent. This year, the Biden-Harris administration introduced an updated privacy rule ostensibly aimed at providing greater protections for women.

But the rule imposes unprecedented restrictions on doctors’ ability to report cases of abuse—such as women and minors being coerced into abortions—or minors receiving harmful “gender transition” drugs or surgeries. Additionally, the rule redefines key terms such as person, individual and child to categorically exclude the unborn, effectively removing a medical professional’s ability to advocate for the health and safety of unborn children.

Like many other doctors, Purl said she fears that the added restrictions will prevent her from being able to protect her patients from abuse without facing legal and financial repercussions. That concern was echoed by the court in its opinion, “Requiring a doctor … to navigate [the rule’s] requirements and make perplexing legal judgments necessarily limits reporting child abuse.” […]

— Read More: harbingersdaily.com