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Then why goto the doctor for a checkup?
This is likely in the context of abortion bans in some US states. Presumably they still trust the doctor to do a regular checkup for everything else.
And, the doctor may not have a choice. Even if they're asking for purely medical-history reasons, they may have to put the information into a system (according to their employer or insurance company or for their own records), and that system may be subject to information gathering from hostile parties.
She's not wrong, a doctor doesn't need specifics for a checkup.
That entirely depends on where you are going, what insurance networks they deal with, and what the appointment was scheduled for.
Going in for a sinus infection, yeah that's probably not going to be necessary. Going in for a women's wellness check up? They are probably going to have to input something depending on the forms the institution uses for electronic medical records.
Certain insurances will utilize specific metrics to determine reimbursement. If you don't document certain information they may use it as an excuse not to reimburse the provider.
In some anti-abortion states, the information in question can potentially be used as evidence in a murder trial for having sought an abortion. A prosecutor can potentially use the timing of that previous period to suggest fetal age at the time of a future abortion may be greater than the law allows.
Doctors don't need that information. Insurance companies surely don't need that information.
In some anti-abortion states, the information in question can potentially be used as evidence in a murder trial for having sought an abortion.
Yes, I understand that. I practice pediatric medicine in the most conservative state in the nation.
Doctors don't need that information.
Again, this is circumstantial. Menstruation cycles are still very important to certain types of medical care. It is unsafe to suggest that no doctor can be trusted with this type of information.
Most of the reasons why physicians ask these questions is purely out of concern for your health and for liability purposes. Certain medications can be dangerous to prescribe to a person who is unknowingly pregnant.
Insurance companies surely don't need that information.
I wasn't validating the insurance companies reasoning, just informing why physicians and other medical providers may ask these questions.
Doctor patient confidentiality is not absolute, and even if it were, the associated records are not. They are subject to subpoena in certain circumstances.
It is unsafe to suggest that no doctor can be trusted with this type of information.
It is unsafe to suggest that they can. Safety isn't on the menu here. You can only get it with a referendum. Or a guillotine.
It is unsafe to suggest that they can. Safety isn't on the menu here. You can only get it with a referendum. Or a guillotine.
You are misconstruing health and legal safety. There is already an alarming lack of women's reproductive care, and America already has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy nation.
Your suggestion that you should fear talking about a provider out of concern for the slim possibility that you will be prosecuted for having an abortion is outright dangerous.
How many people have been jailed so far for this information? Now weigh that against the amount of just black women who die every year for lack of prenatal care. What you are spreading is not only dangerous, but reeks of privilege.
There is already an alarming lack of women's reproductive care,
How's the health care in prison?
Your suggestion that you should fear talking about a provider out of concern for the slim possibility that you will be prosecuted for having an abortion is outright dangerous.
Indeed, it is. As is your suggestion that the possibility of prosecution is "slim". We have highly motivated people seriously promoting pregnancy registries. They believe such registries are necessary to prevent murder.
Now weigh that against the amount of just black women who die every year for lack of prenatal care. What you are spreading is not only dangerous, but reeks of privilege.
You're hand waving away even the possibility of civil or criminal penalties for seeking healthcare, and I'm the one who sounds privileged?
How's the health care in prison?
Again..... How many people have gone to prison from this information? Because lack of prenatal care or access to reproductive care is responsible for over 1k deaths a year in the US alone.
As is your suggestion that the possibility of prosecution is "slim". We have highly motivated people seriously promoting pregnancy registries. They believe such registries are necessary to prevent murder.
And we have even more people determined to protect abortion rights, and many states have constitutional protections for this exact reason. The vast majority of Americans have ample protections for their abortion rights, and telling them they shouldn't trust their physicians is doing nothing but endangering their own health.
You're hand waving away even the possibility of civil or criminal penalties for seeking healthcare
No, I'm just not trying to instil distrust in medicine. If you live in a state where this is a potential issue, then yes, do what you need to do to be safe. But, if you are like the vast majority of Americans whom this is not an issue, than all you are doing by instilling distrust is needlessly endangering peoples health.
I'm the one who sounds privileged?
Yes. One of the major hurdles for prenatal and pediatric care among minority communities is a general distrust in medical systems. This stems from systemic racial inequalities that a lot of people within the medical system are attempting to actively change. You characterizing this care as legally dangerous to all women does nothing but jeopardize the most at risk communities. Most of whom already have adequate protections for abortion care.
You are giving medical advice, and you have no idea what your talking about.
Again..... How many people have gone to prison from this information? Because lack of prenatal care or access to reproductive care is responsible for over 1k deaths a year in the US alone.
You don't get to make that claim. You only get to claim harm arising from a patient refusing to provide dates of last menstruation, or similar information that can be used to time a pregnancy. The idea that women shouldn't seek care at all is your own strawman. I didn't make any such claim whatsoever. My claim is only that people should not be testifying against themselves to medical professionals.
And we have even more people determined to protect abortion rights, and many states have constitutional protections for this exact reason
And when they are charged or sued in a state that doesn't?
One of the major hurdles for prenatal and pediatric care among minority communities is a general distrust in medical systems. This stems from systemic racial inequalities that a lot of people within the medical system are attempting to actively change.
Those "systemic racial inequalities" you're talking about? Those exist. "Just trust doctors" doesn't solve them. "Just pretend there are no legal risks" doesn't save patients from having their medical data used against them. That's great that people in the field are actively trying to change that. But it does not change the fact that people outside the field are actively working in the opposite direction.
While we are waiting for sanity to be restored, anyone who can get pregnant and find themselves in the jurisdiction of a hostile state should consider the legal ramifications of discussing their period.
You'll have to start buying tampons in bulk, lest retail starts telling on you
Every time I’ve gone to the doctor in the US since several years before I actually had my first period (I was a late bloomer), I’ve been asked about the date of my last period. Since I moved to Germany (a country with a longer life expectancy than the US), I’ve only been asked if I could be pregnant before X-rays and prescriptions or when it’s been relevant to my visit (abdominal cramps, unexplained vomiting, etc.). I understand if you didn’t realize that it’s asked for absolutely everything or if you thought it was actually necessary, but it’s both constant and unnecessary.
Yeah it's like asking about your last bowel movement. Potentially important to your health, but probably not pertinent
It's like trying to buy alcohol from a legal market - the seller will absolutely rat you out to the cops to protect themselves and their business. Same thing, you can't trust them if you're potentially breaking the law. Sadly, this is going on for women simply being suspected of getting pregnant so the government can keep tabs on them. It's gross
Yeah, women should just avoid doctors and routine checkups altogether/S