The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. February 16, 2023 Virginia Republicans Thwart Bill to Safeguard People's Private Menstrual Data ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Virginia, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has blocked a bill that would ban search warrants to access personal data on menstrual tracking apps. The measure was put forward by Democrats in an effort to prevent private health information from being used in prosecutions related to abortions following the overturning last year of Roe v. Wade. Abortion is currently legal in Virginia until the 27th week of pregnancy but Youngkin is pushing to enact a 15-week abortion ban, and favors prosecuting providers who violate abortion laws.