Clinic wins Appeal to Protect Privacy of Medical Records

The Ohio First District Court of Appeals reversed a ruling Friday that would have required a Planned Parenthood clinic to present lawyers representing the family of a minor patient with the medical records of all minor patients provided with abortion care at their clinic. The court said the burden of disclosure on Planned Parenthood and its patients would exceed the value of the records and that even if the records were blacked out, “it is arguable that disclosure would result in a privacy invasion.”

This ruling is an important step in protecting the privacy of women and their medical records. The appellate court unanimously decided the records were not necessary and that there is no evidence that shows the clinic systematically and intentionally evaded its legal duties.