Guest blog: California expands scope of Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, strengthening protections for mental health information exchanged through digital health applications

By: Andrew Serwin, Kristi Kung, Bethany J. Hills, Christine Lentz

With the mounting mental health crisis intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, the telemental health industry has exploded in recent years. According to recent estimates, as many as 325,000 health and wellness apps are available for download, and 10,000-20,000 apps have been designed specifically for mental health. Many of these programs require clients to record their symptoms, which has led to reports of privacy concerns, because these companies may profit from … Read the rest

Why the Dobbs decision won’t imperil pregnancy-related medical care

Why the <em>Dobbs</em> decision won’t imperil pregnancy-related medical care

Share

This article is part of a symposium on the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Elizabeth R. Kirk is director of the Center for Law & the Human Person at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America. She is an associate scholar at Charlotte Lozier Institute. Dr. Ingrid Skop is an obstetrician-gynecologist and is senior fellow and director of medical affairs at Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Many are grappling with the legal … Read the rest

Medical marijuana money and purses without probable cause

Medical marijuana money and purses without probable cause

Share

The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

Can a police officer rummage through your purse if they find you in someone else’s home that they have a warrant to search? And if your purse contains suspicious amounts of allegedly state-licensed medical marijuana, can federal authorities prosecute you for possession of a controlled substance? This week we highlight … Read the rest