Police in the United Kingdom are using data from period tracking apps and mass spectrometry tests conducted on blood, placenta, and urine to investigate patients who have had “unexplained” miscarriages.

Though abortion is legal in the UK, there are TRAP laws in place requiring certain conditions to be met first, paramount of which is that two separate doctors need to agree that the patient meets the criteria of the 1967 Abortion Act before any treatment can go ahead. Self-managed abortion is a criminal offense with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment in the UK, as is any abortion performed after the pregnancy has progressed passed 23 weeks and six days, unless the patient is at risk of serious physical harm or death, or the fetus has severe developmental anomalies.

  • ikidd@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Simply: you shouldn’t have to worry about medical data being shared with anyone without your consent, no matter if you use an app or tell your doctor.

    • jabjoe@feddit.uk
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      1 year ago

      You probably “agreed” to it on page 27 of the user license agreement you didn’t read. Along with god knows what else.

    • rosymind
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      1 year ago

      Oh, I agree. That doesn’t change reality, though. We can fight for our rights and still find a work around. In this case, by using paper that can’t be tracked by the government

      What bothers me is the all-or-nothing mentality people have. If something changes work around it until it can be fixed. I definitely don’t mean “just give up” I mean- find alternatives until things are set right