RICHMOND, VA – In case you missed it, earlier this week, the Youngkin administration announced its support for granting law enforcement access to women’s menstrual cycle data by opposing SB 857, which would have prohibited search warrants from being used to access menstrual cycle tracking app data.

To many Virginians, this move is especially concerning, particularly in light of Governor Youngkin’s budgetary requests, which included $50,000 earmarked for the prosecution and imprisonment of women and doctors who seek or perform abortion procedures.

WHAT VIRGINIANS ARE READING:

The Washington Post: Youngkin opposes effort to shield menstrual data from law enforcement

February 14, 2023 | Laura Vozzella and Gregory S. Schneider

• “Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) helped defeat a bill this week to put menstrual data stored on period-tracking apps beyond the reach of law enforcement”
• “S.B. 852, proposed by Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington), would have prohibited search warrants from being issued for menstrual data stored on computers or other electronic devices. The measure sailed out of the Democratic-led Senate last week on a 31-9 vote, with every Democrat and half of the chamber’s 18 Republicans in support”
• “A Republican-led House subcommittee voted along party lines Monday to ‘table’ the bill — essentially killing it”

Axios: Virginia Republicans reject menstrual app privacy bill

February 15, 2023 | Ned Oliver

• “As many as a third of women use apps to track their periods, data that abortion rights supporters fear could one day be used to enforce post-Roe abortion restrictions”
• “The Senate passed legislation preventing authorities from obtaining that information, which is currently not subject to any privacy protections”
• “The bill was voted down by a GOP-controlled committee in the House on Monday, [and] Youngkin's administration went on record for the first time opposing the measure”

Virginia Mercury: Youngkin administration opposes shielding menstrual app data from search warrants

February 14, 2023 | Graham Moomaw

• “Supporters of the bill said it would remove any possibility that data stored in menstrual apps could be used in abortion-related prosecutions.”
• “Information stored in the apps is not covered by HIPAA, the main federal privacy law protecting health information”
• “The Republican-led subcommittee that blocked the bill didn’t spend much time discussing it”

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