I'm writing because something said at the CDC director confirmation hearing last month hasn't left my mind. Dr. Erica Schwartz, who was confirmed on August 6th, told senators she supports tracking abortion data at the federal level. I need you to understand what that means to real people in our state — not in the abstract, but for my neighbors who are already afraid to seek care, afraid to talk to their doctors, and afraid that their private medical decisions could be used against them.
Abortion surveillance data doesn't stay in a spreadsheet. In a country where more than a dozen states have criminalized abortion, federal data collection creates a roadmap that prosecutors and law enforcement can follow. Women have already been investigated and charged based on their medical records and search histories. Federal tracking adds another layer of exposure — and the people most at risk are already the most vulnerable: low-income women, women of color, women who had to travel across state lines for care they couldn't get at home. This is not hypothetical. The danger is here right now.
You represent people who believe that what happens between a patient and their doctor is private. That is a value almost everyone shares, regardless of how they feel about abortion. I'm asking you to send a clear message: publicly oppose any federal effort to expand abortion surveillance at the CDC, and push for a congressional hearing where the new director is required to explain exactly what data will be collected, who can access it, and how patients will be protected. Our constituents deserve answers, and you have the power to demand them.
Please stand up for patient privacy and stop federal abortion data tracking before it puts our neighbors at risk.
