Rep. Sara Jacobs Pens Elle Op-Ed Calling for Passage of the My Body, My Data Act
As the Supreme Court hears oral arguments today in the FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case that could restrict access to mifepristone, Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) penned an op-ed for Elle, calling for passage of her bill, the My Body, My Data Act to win the next generation of abortion battles. Her bill would create a new national standard to protect reproductive and sexual health data.
Read Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Op-Ed Here
Rep. Sara Jacobs wrote:
“Today, the Supreme Court begins oral arguments in a case that could limit access to mifepristone—a commonly used abortion pill that is safe, effective, and has been on the market for decades. We don’t know how the Court will rule, but the decision could prevent mifepristone from being mailed to patients, require multiple in-person doctor visits for a prescription, or limit the number of weeks into pregnancy it can be used. Medication abortion makes up the majority of all abortions in the U.S.—and more and more people are turning to telehealth to access it, so this decision could be devastating. Ultimately, it could wipe out mifepristone access for 40 million women, even in blue states like California, which I represent, despite our strong abortion protections.
“These coordinated, systemic attacks on abortion access have been in the making for decades. But one of the biggest differences between now and the pre-Roe era is that there’s an entire, unregulated digital marketplace that exists to collect and profit from our personal information, including health data. Right now, most state laws target abortion providers or people assisting people seeking abortion. But it’s only a matter of time until laws start targeting abortion-seekers themselves. We need to recognize that our vulnerable consumer data will be one of the best ways MAGA Republicans have to investigate and prosecute people seeking abortions, as well as those trying to help them. And that’s because there are almost no federal protections for reproductive health data in the consumer marketplace. It’s not even protected by HIPAA.
“That’s why I introduced the My Body, My Data Act to create a new national standard to protect our reproductive and sexual health data. Under my bill, companies can only collect and retain information that is strictly needed to provide their services. That means if you use a period or fertility-tracking app, a company couldn’t, for instance, also store your location data. You’d also be able to ask companies to delete your data at any time, and they couldn’t sell or share it. You’d also have the power to sue companies if you think they’re misusing your data.”
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