Current:Home > FinanceBill would ban sale of reproductive and gender affirming care locations gathered from cellphones -NextFrontier Finance
Bill would ban sale of reproductive and gender affirming care locations gathered from cellphones
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:38:40
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts House unanimously approved legislation Wednesday that would ban companies from selling cellphone location data collected during visits to reproductive and gender-affirming care clinics.
Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said the goal is to ensure that the right to receive and provide that type of care remains ironclad in Massachusetts.
Supporters of the legislation say the location data in question could be used to target and harass patients and providers. Some state governments and federal regulators were already moving to keep individuals’ reproductive health information private when a U.S. senator’s report in February described how cellphone location data was used to send millions of anti-abortion ads to people who visited Planned Parenthood offices.
“While Massachusetts has a proud history of protecting and expanding access to reproductive health care, evolving efforts from extremist Republicans across the country, made possible by the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, continue to threaten the safety of women who come to the commonwealth from other states to seek care,” said House Speaker Ronald Mariano.
Companies would need a customer’s permission to collect and process location information from a reproductive or gender affirming care location with limited exceptions, such as a response to an emergency service agency.
The state attorney general’s office would be required to issue regulations and have the authority to enforce those rules.
The bill now heads to the Massachusetts Senate.
Although abortion remains legal in Massachusetts, lawmakers have taken steps to further protect those rights and establish additional safeguards in the wake of Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
In 2022, the Legislature passed legislation designed to protect abortion providers, out-of-state patients, and insurers. The law also expanded access to contraceptives and helped ensure women who face grave circumstances after 24 weeks of pregnancy are not forced to leave Massachusetts to get access to reproductive health care services.
“This legislation is the first step in providing that protection at a time when more than 20 state legislatures have banned or severely restricted access to abortion and gender affirming care,” Democratic Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian said of the bill approved Wednesday by the Massachusetts House.
veryGood! (96247)
Related
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Man arrested in connection with attempt to ship a ton of meth to Australia
- Americans’ refusal to keep paying higher prices may be dealing a final blow to US inflation spike
- 'It Ends With Us' drama explained: What's going on between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Some states still feeling lingering effects of Debby
- This Is the Only Underwear I Buy My Husband (and It's on Sale)
- Some states still feeling lingering effects of Debby
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Can I use my 401(k) as an ATM? New rules allow emergency withdrawals.
Ranking
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Man sentenced to jail after involuntary manslaughter plea in death stemming from snoring dispute
- Breaking made history in Paris. We'll probably never see it at Olympics again.
- Winners and losers of the 2024 Olympics: Big upsets, failures and joyful moments
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Tom Daley Tearfully Announces Retirement After 2024 Olympics
- Emotions run wild as players, celebrities bask in US women's basketball gold medal
- RHONJ's Teresa Giudice Defends Husband Luis Ruelas Wishing Suffering on Margaret Josephs' Son
Recommendation
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
Watch: These tech tips help simplify back-to-school shopping
What is French fashion? How to transform your style into Parisian chic
Mike Tirico left ESPN, MNF 8 years ago. Paris Olympics showed he made right call.
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Early Harris-Walz rallies feature big crowds, talk of ‘joy’ and unsolicited GOP counterprogramming
Georgia lawmaker accused of DUI after crash with bicyclist says he was not intoxicated or on drugs
Elle King says dad Rob Schneider sent her to 'fat camp,' forgot birthday