TAKE ACTION: STOP PHARMACIES SHARING YOUR DATA
Pharmacies are sharing prescription records with law enforcement agencies without a warrant and often without the patient’s knowledge or consent.
Medical records contain very personal, revealing information about our lives—everything from allergies and medical procedures to family history, chronic health issues, and advance directives. This information should be confidential and protected.
Instead, pharmacies are disclosing medical records without the patient’s consent or even knowledge. This is a violation of medical privacy. It poses a risk to everyone whose records are being held by these pharmacies and an even higher risk to medically vulnerable communities such as trans youth in need of gender affirming care and abortion seekers in states that restrict or ban abortions.
Call on pharmacies to protect your private medical records!
Medical data should be protected, not given away to law enforcement without so much as a warrant
An investigation conducted by lawmakers as part of an oversight inquiry revealed that pharmacies are handing over sensitive medical records to law enforcement without a warrant. Pharmacies also aren’t notifying customers when they do this. This means that many people have their privacy violated without ever knowing it happened or why.
The pharmacies claim that they are legally required to disclose information to law enforcement when asked and are just complying with the law, but that isn’t entirely true. Pharmacies can insist on a warrant and press law enforcement agencies to go to court to enforce their demand. So why don’t they? Because it’s easier, faster and more cost efficient for them to just hand over information without seeking legal advice first or notifying the concerned customer afterwards.
This needs to change. While we urge lawmakers and agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen HIPAA regulations and other privacy protections, we demand pharmacies protect their customers’ privacy, refuse to share customer information without a warrant and notify customers of law enforcement demands for their private medical information. Send a message to pharmacies telling them you expect better privacy protection today.
KEY DATES
December 12, 2023 | A congressional investigation raises concerns about pharmacies threatening medical privacy.
February 1, 2024 | ❤️Fight launches petition demanding they protect their customers’ privacy
March 1, 2024 | CVS, Walgreens announces selling abortion pills starting in March
TAKE FURTHER ACTION
Join us—protest this practice by organizing a letter delivery to a pharmacy in your area. To participate, read the instructions below and click the button below to get resources that will help you organize a delivery. Afterwards, share your photos with us and we’ll publicize them to show public support for this demand.
