WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — Medical records of women will be shielded from criminal investigation if they cross a state line to seek an abortion where it is legal, under a new rule finalized Monday.

The regulation is intended to protect women who reside in states where abortion is illegal from prosecution.

“No one should have their medical records used against them, their doctor or their loved one just because they sought or received lawful reproductive health care,” said Jennifer Klein, director of White House Gender Policy Council.

The rule is an update to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. That prohibits medical providers and health insurers from divulging medical information about patients. Typically, law enforcement can access those records for an investigation.

In states with strict abortion laws, the federal regulation essentially would  prohibit state or local officials from gathering medical records related to reproductive health care for a civil, criminal or administrative investigation in a state where abortion remains legal.

The regulation would not protect a woman who orders an abortion pill from her home in a state where abortion is

 

mostly banned from a provider in at state where it is legal.

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