Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Mid-day Postings
I'm not one to normally agree with William Safire. I seldom get past a few graphs in his NYTimes columns and I never read his NYTimes Mag column on lexicon because I hate how often he infuses his supposedly astute perspective with obvious political bias. That's my take, so sue me. But I entirely agree with today's column trashing the Ashcroft Justice Department's attack on doctors and hospitals that provide abortion. Since I don't aim to in any way misquote him, the following exerpts are important for anyone not up on the issue and too lazy to click on the above link:
"Justice issued subpoenas to hospitals in several cities across the nation for the medical records of hundreds of women who had undergone abortions. After hospitals protested that the order flew in the face of federal and state privacy laws, Justice offered to allow the individual names to be blotted out. In Chicago, Northwestern Memorial argued in court that patients would not trust such redaction of their records — copies of which would pass through hundreds of hands — to keep private such an intimate procedure.
The judge quashed the subpoena, but Justice is appealing. "Congress created a zone of privacy relating to medical information," says Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel. "Who would have thought the first one to violate it would be the federal government?" Medical records contain dates of treatment, doctors' names, prescriptions — all clues to identity. Who would not be deterred from going to a hospital that meekly passed along those records?"
And he brought it home with the following:
"A balance must be struck between protecting all of us and protecting each one of us. I don't trust Justice or the C.I.A. to strike that balance. I have more faith in the courts and Congress, and — if he would remember his stand on personal freedom — in George W. Bush."
Put that in your pipe and smoke it. So to speak.
Also important from today's news, the USA Today analyzes a recent poll that shows the US electorate more divided than ever seen in Gallup's polling history. As I'd love you to hear in my best ValleyGirl accent - "like, duh-uhh. I'm so sure."
I'm not one to normally agree with William Safire. I seldom get past a few graphs in his NYTimes columns and I never read his NYTimes Mag column on lexicon because I hate how often he infuses his supposedly astute perspective with obvious political bias. That's my take, so sue me. But I entirely agree with today's column trashing the Ashcroft Justice Department's attack on doctors and hospitals that provide abortion. Since I don't aim to in any way misquote him, the following exerpts are important for anyone not up on the issue and too lazy to click on the above link:
"Justice issued subpoenas to hospitals in several cities across the nation for the medical records of hundreds of women who had undergone abortions. After hospitals protested that the order flew in the face of federal and state privacy laws, Justice offered to allow the individual names to be blotted out. In Chicago, Northwestern Memorial argued in court that patients would not trust such redaction of their records — copies of which would pass through hundreds of hands — to keep private such an intimate procedure.
The judge quashed the subpoena, but Justice is appealing. "Congress created a zone of privacy relating to medical information," says Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel. "Who would have thought the first one to violate it would be the federal government?" Medical records contain dates of treatment, doctors' names, prescriptions — all clues to identity. Who would not be deterred from going to a hospital that meekly passed along those records?"
And he brought it home with the following:
"A balance must be struck between protecting all of us and protecting each one of us. I don't trust Justice or the C.I.A. to strike that balance. I have more faith in the courts and Congress, and — if he would remember his stand on personal freedom — in George W. Bush."
Put that in your pipe and smoke it. So to speak.
Also important from today's news, the USA Today analyzes a recent poll that shows the US electorate more divided than ever seen in Gallup's polling history. As I'd love you to hear in my best ValleyGirl accent - "like, duh-uhh. I'm so sure."
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