The White House has proposed a federal rule aiming to limit how law enforcement and state officials collect medical records from health providers and insurers if they pursue investigations into women who flee their home states to seek abortions elsewhere. The proposal was prompted by blows to abortion access across the country. A federal judge’s ruling Friday in Texas threatens to pull the commonly used abortion pill mifepristone off the market. The rule proposed Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would prohibit health care organizations from giving authorities personal medical records for investigations related to reproductive care in states where women legally obtained abortions.
