EPIC, Coalition Urge President Biden to Ensure That Federal Policing Funds are Not Used for Abortion Surveillance

In a letter, EPIC and a coalition of 54 civil and human rights, civil liberties, and reproductive rights organizations urged the Biden administration to enact policies to prevent states from using federal funds and federal law enforcement assistance programs to investigate or prosecute abortion care providers and individuals seeking abortions. The letter highlights the federal assistance to local law enforcement that could be used to enforce abortion bans including digital forensic services, the National Domestic Communications Assistance Center that provides assistance for monitoring digital communications, and fusion centers. 

EPIC has long advocated for health privacy, recently submitting comments to the Health and Human Services Department urging protection of patient privacy. A recent EPIC blog post analyzed the state of abortion surveillance after the Dobbs decision overruling Roe v. Wade. Earlier this summer, EPIC and a coalition of 70 organizations urged Google to end the collection of location data in light of the threat to health privacy posed by location tracking.