Abortion Access Data and State Consumer Privacy Laws: Explained

The US Supreme Court’s voiding of Roe v. Wade has sparked alarm about the potential use of sensitive data in states where abortion is illegal to investigate whether someone has had the procedure.

Five states—California, Virginia, Colorado, Utah and Connecticut—have enacted comprehensive consumer data privacy laws in recent years, as part of a growing trend of state action in the absence of a sweeping federal law. Certain provisions in those laws, and similar ones that other states may enact in the future, are likely to come into play.

California’s law is the only statute currently active. The others will become ...