A Secret Panel With Your Medical Records
Mississippi HB 1637
Most Mississippians agree on this: every child’s life is precious, and every preventable infant death is a tragedy. But good intentions are not a blank check for government power. With House Bill 1637, the Mississippi Legislature is quietly asking us to trade away privacy and transparency in the name of “review.”
HB 1637 would create a new Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Panel inside state government. On the surface, that sounds reasonable. Who wouldn’t want to understand why babies die and how to prevent it?
The trouble lies in how this panel would operate. The bill gives it sweeping authority to dig into deeply personal medical information and government records, while shielding its own work from public view.
In plain English, here’s what HB 1637 does:
Creates a state panel with broad power to obtain confidential medical records and data from hospitals, clinics, and multiple state and local agencies.
Allows the panel to compel agencies to hand over information, backed by state enforcement power.
Exempts the panel’s meetings and records from Mississippi’s Open Meetings Act and Public Records Act, meaning citizens and the press are locked out.
That combination should alarm anyone who cares about civil liberties, whether you lean left, right, or somewhere in between.
Imagine you’re a young mother who suffered a heartbreaking stillbirth or lost a newborn in the NICU. Under HB 1637, a government panel could access your medical records, related agency files, and sensitive information about your family. You might never know who saw it, what they concluded, or how it might be used—because the panel’s work would be hidden behind closed doors.
Or imagine a rural doctor already struggling to keep a small practice afloat. The panel could demand extensive records and data, with little recourse if the doctor believes the request is overbroad or intrusive. Complying takes time, money, and staff—resources pulled away from patient care, under threat of state enforcement.
Supporters say confidentiality is necessary to encourage honest review. But Mississippi already has laws that protect patient privacy and shield certain quality-improvement processes, while still respecting open meetings and public records requirements. HB 1637 goes much further: it builds a black box inside government, fueled by our most private information and answerable to almost no one.
When government gains the power to see more, the people should gain the power to see more, too. This bill flips that principle on its head. It expands state access and coercive authority while shrinking public oversight.
If we truly want to reduce infant mortality, we should invest in proven, transparent solutions: better prenatal care, community health outreach, support for high-risk mothers, and data sharing governed by clear privacy safeguards and public accountability—not a secretive panel armed with your medical records.
Mississippi can pursue compassionate, evidence-based policies without undermining core civil liberties. Legislators should reject HB 1637 or, at minimum, go back to the drawing board with strict limits on data access, strong privacy protections, and full transparency to the people.
Contact your state representative and senator today. Tell them you support protecting babies—and you also support protecting privacy and open government. Ask them to vote NO on HB 1637.