Missouri's Spreadsheet of Women's Periods Wasn't Illegal — But Experts Think It Was Pretty Creepy

[90DayFinancier 910]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

Is this family friendly?

More family friendly than the transgender genitalia to thread that the mods let slide.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

3 hours ago, laylalex said:

Well, because they don't need to track this information:

It's one thing if this is useful for what the state said it was trying to do, but it wasn't. Not at all. And women and girls can forget when their cycle started (sometimes you don't even know it's technically started) so the data unless properly gathered is kind of meaningless. 

 

Alex is here next to me and said he can't even imagine tracking my monthly cycles through an app. He said to mention that he sails the red seas but IT IS NOT TRUE.  I have just had to listen to the most appalling "jokes" about approaching the bedside wearing only an eyepatch while at "full mast" while he says, "Prepare to be boarded, it's going to be a bloodbath." There are even more horrible jokes he's just said about this but I'm not going to tell them because I'm gagging. 🤮

It's not about sailing the seas, it is more about knowing when the seas will be heavy and will require extra care.

[NikLR 13,227]

 

5 hours ago, laylalex said:

Well, because they don't need to track this information:

It's one thing if this is useful for what the state said it was trying to do, but it wasn't. Not at all. And women and girls can forget when their cycle started (sometimes you don't even know it's technically started) so the data unless properly gathered is kind of meaningless. 

Actually it's a good idea for a doctor to ask and then keep a record of when a woman's cycle is.  My doctor's office does.  I've never been to a doctor where that wasn't a question, even if just for medication purposes.  I've answered the question for xrays and tests.   It's good for women to track.  How many women suffer from things like endometriosis or PCOS or any variety of issues, like fibroids or cysts, and never seek help because they don't know that their every other weekly cycle isn't normal.  Just because that's been normal for them, doesn't mean it's normal.  

 

The article never said the data wasn't gathered correctly.  It was exposed incorrectly and probably recorded with people's names or some kind of identifier which was not correct.  That violates privacy laws.  That's the real issue, not the spreadsheet itself.

 

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

4 hours ago, NikLR said:

 

Actually it's a good idea for a doctor to ask and then keep a record of when a woman's cycle is.  My doctor's office does.  I've never been to a doctor where that wasn't a question, even if just for medication purposes.  I've answered the question for xrays and tests.   It's good for women to track.  How many women suffer from things like endometriosis or PCOS or any variety of issues, like fibroids or cysts, and never seek help because they don't know that their every other weekly cycle isn't normal.  Just because that's been normal for them, doesn't mean it's normal.  

 

The article never said the data wasn't gathered correctly.  It was exposed incorrectly and probably recorded with people's names or some kind of identifier which was not correct.  That violates privacy laws.  That's the real issue, not the spreadsheet itself.

 

Bingo!! This lady gets it.  The DATA is good to have.  If personal information was exposed, then that's an issue.  

[laylalex 7,284]

I'm sorry if I wasn't making myself clear -- it was the invasion of privacy I objected to. I am a woman, and I am perfectly familiar with having to give over such information on a regular basis at doctor's appointments. I am quite happy to give this information to medical professionals for diagnostic purposes. What I am NOT okay with is this information being given to political figures on a spreadsheet with identifiers, sent via email, for a purpose that isn't related to diagnosis. 

[NikLR 13,227]

I agree with you.  An annoymous spreadsheet i would understand for statistical purposes as well. But identifying information is an invasion of privacy and likely against HIPAA.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Nowhere in the article did they say that any women's personal info was revealed.  Had it been, I'm certain it would have been exposed.

 

Here's the takeaway, for those who didnt take the time to actually read the article:

 

"

But the state’s health department said in a statement Wednesday night that the information, which the state has a legal obligation to collect, was used for legitimate public health purposes. The department ultimately wanted to determine whether any patients returned to Planned Parenthood because their abortion had failed — and whether the clinic had properly reported those incidents.

An investigator took data from 3,000 abortions that took place in 2018 and narrowed down to 67 instances when the same patient might’ve had multiple abortions in a single year. The state found four instances of incomplete abortions and decided not to renew the clinic’s license.

"