Kansas City, Mo. (Oct. 29, 2019) – Following testimony where Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams revealed that he directed his office to track patients of Planned Parenthood’s menstrual periods, the Missouri Democratic Party is calling on Governor Parson to investigate this obvious overreach into the privacy between a patient and their doctor.

“It is certainly shocking, but not necessarily surprising, that Dr. Williams used his power to completely disregard any privacy that should be reasonably expected between a patient and their doctor. Using this information to target Planned Parenthood is another example of Republicans ignoring protections in an effort to regulate reproductive health. From passing an unconstitutional ban on abortions that offers no protections for victims of rape and incest, to the Governor’s top aide admitting a ‘main goal’ of his is to shut down Planned Parenthood, to attempting to pack the courts of Missouri with a judge who has attacked in vitro fertilization, to using a spreadsheet to track patients’ menstrual periods, Republicans have shown that if you’re able to become pregnant in Missouri, you have little control over your body. These efforts are extreme and do not represent the will of Missourians, and we call on Governor Parson to take today’s news seriously and open an investigation immediately,” said Executive Director Lauren Gepford.

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