On May 17, U.S. Sens. Mazie J. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and 11 fellow senators re-introduced the “My Body, My Data Act,” which is legislation designed to create a national standard to protect reproductive and sexual health data.
That protection would be done by minimizing the personal reproductive and sexual health data that can be collected and retained, as well as stopping information from being disclosed or misused, according to a release by Hirono. The House introduced legislation to go along with this, with Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) as the bill’s sponsor.
“Along with restricting the reproductive rights of people across the country, the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision opened individuals up to the risk of surveillance and prosecution for providing or seeking reproductive care,” said Hirono. “Everyone should be able to trust that their personal data is safe and secure.”
Hirono has supported abortion access for many years and favors protecting the right to abortion care for everyone. She has worked to prevent law enforcement from using federal assistance to surveil or investigate people receiving or providing abortions. She also has lobbied for the Biden Administration to protect reproductive freedom as there have been efforts to restrict abortion access nationwide.
The release says total or near-total abortion bans now exist in 19 states after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. Critics of the move argue it has put people getting, seeking or facilitating reproductive health care at risk of having their digital footprints weaponized against them.
The Senate legislation was also co-sponsored by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
Aside from Jacobs, 91 representatives co-sponsored the House legislation.
The bill was endorsed by the following entities: Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), NARAL Pro-Choice America, Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH), National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), National Abortion Federation, Catholics for Choice, National Council for Jewish Women, Feminist Majority, Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity (URGE) and Indivisible.