Press Releases

Draft Roe Decision Underscores Urgent Need for Data Privacy Law

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on the critical need for a strong national consumer privacy standard in light of the draft Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade:

“If the draft Supreme Court decision becomes the final, it will threaten women in a multitude of ways in this country. Because our tech laws are so behind, the personal information of millions of women is currently at risk. This includes data from internet searches about reproductive health care including abortions, menstrual tracking and other women’s health apps, and which medical facilities a woman has visited.

“Should the Supreme Court move forward with this decision and overturn Roe, law enforcement officials or even community members could purchase and abuse this data to target women seeking an abortion and medical professionals providing them. Women should be in charge of their bodies and their personal information, not politicians.

“Democrats must swiftly pass a strong national consumer data privacy standard that protects our personal information including pregnancy status and other health data. We can’t afford to wait.”

DelBene is the sponsor of the Information Transparency and Personal Data Control Act (H.R. 1816) that would protect health data, among other sensitive personal information.