Porter bill to protect Hoosiers’ privacy heads to governor’s desk

Today,  March 24, State Rep. Gregory W. Porter (D-Indianapolis) signed House Bill 1148 to send the bill to the governor’s desk. The bill passed with a 45 to 1 vote in the Senate, and it returned to the House with no amendments. HB 1148 increases the number of years a birth certificate or record for a stillborn child is private from 75 to 99 years. 

Porter released the following statement:

“I’m grateful to my House and Senate colleagues for their support of this legislation. This bill will protect Hoosiers’ privacy by ensuring their medical records remain confidential during their lifetimes. It’s important that medical documents remain private, especially for something as traumatic and devastating as a stillbirth. 

“This bill increases the number of years a stillbirth record stays private from 75 to 99. With our life expectancies getting longer, many people were outliving that 75-year limit. Their stillbirth records were made public against their wishes. When made public, stillbirth records are often added to online databases and used for health care research. That’s incredibly damaging to these families who then relive their grief and pain as the loss of their child becomes public knowledge. 

“My bill keeps medical records confidential unless the patient chooses otherwise. I’m proud to have authored this legislation, and I remain committed to protecting Hoosiers’ privacy.”