Three Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill designed to protect people’s reproductive health data from being collected or misused by companies. This new legislation aims to safeguard privacy in the post-Roe v. Wade era, where concerns about data misuse have increased.
The “My Body, My Data” bill, filed by Representative Sara Jacobs, Senator Mazie Hirono, and Senator Ron Wyden, would restrict companies from gathering, keeping, or sharing information related to pregnancy, menstruation, abortion, contraception, and other reproductive health matters unless it is essential for providing a service.
Jacobs highlighted how much personal information, including period tracking, phone location, online searches, and travel to clinics, is currently tracked and vulnerable. “None of those are protected right now,” she said.
There have been cases where law enforcement used data from apps and social media to prosecute people seeking abortions. For example, in 2022, Nebraska used Facebook messages as evidence in charging a teenager and her mother after an abortion. Anti-abortion groups have also used location data to target people visiting clinics.
As more people use online services to obtain abortion pills, privacy concerns grow. Some women who experience miscarriages have faced legal scrutiny based on their online search history, worrying advocates about surveillance and prosecution.
Senator Wyden called reproductive rights “the ultimate privacy priority,” emphasizing that a woman’s control over her body and healthcare is deeply personal.
While the bill faces political challenges, with Republicans unlikely to support it, it marks an important step toward stronger reproductive health data protections. Currently, no federal law fully protects such data, but Washington state has passed a law requiring companies to safeguard health information and allow users to control their data.
Jacobs advises caution, especially for those living in states with strict abortion laws, urging people to be mindful of what they share online to protect their privacy and health rights.
