A bill by a Bossier City legislator that would protect medical records of abortion patients, following a call for investigation regarding destruction of such records, will be heard in committee Wednesday.
House Bill 484, authored by Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City, is scheduled to be considered April 24 before the Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee.
Louisiana Right to Life, which called for an investigation surrounding the alleged destruction of patient medical records by the Bossier City Medical Suite, notes that HB 484 extends the responsibility of retaining medical records beyond the abortion physician to the outpatient abortion facility owner.
“Moving forward, HB 484 is critical because the outpatient abortion facility must have a responsibility to protect patient records. In many cases the physicians employed at these facilities are contract employees rather than facility owners. The Legislature must act now to protect patient records at outpatient abortion facilities,” said Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life.
Louisiana Right to Life mailed letters to the Bossier Parish District Attorney, the Department of Health, and the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners April 24, requesting an investigation of potential violations of state law.
An emailed press release from Louisiana Right to Life says that in February of 2017, the Department of Health cited Bossier City Medical Suite for not reporting the rape of a minor, and a month after the facility closed in March 2017 that all patient records were destroyed.
