A troubling story in RT concerning a woman who was denied entry to the USA because she had been hospitalized for clinical depression. It is concerning because medical records are intended to be confidential. Secondly, why would her records be handed over to the US government, or for that matter, the federal government when she has not committed any crime. As RT writes:
According to Richardson, the border agent told her that the US Immigration and Nationality Act allows the government to deny entry to anyone with a physical or mental disorder that may pose a“threat to the property, safety or welfare,” and that her “mental illness episode’’ from last year warranted extra attention.
“The incident in 2012 was hospitalization for depression. Police were not involved,’’ her attorney, David McGhee, told the Star, adding that he approached Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews as well “to tell me if she’s aware of any provincial or federal authority to allow US authorities to have access to our medical records.”
The slow erosion of our civil liberties and privacy is a cause for social and political concern. Naomi Wolf gave a very good talk on this very theme at the University of Missouri which is worth the time it takes to view it.
According to Richardson, the border agent told her that the US Immigration and Nationality Act allows the government to deny entry to anyone with a physical or mental disorder that may pose a“threat to the property, safety or welfare,” and that her “mental illness episode’’ from last year warranted extra attention.
“The incident in 2012 was hospitalization for depression. Police were not involved,’’ her attorney, David McGhee, told the Star, adding that he approached Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews as well “to tell me if she’s aware of any provincial or federal authority to allow US authorities to have access to our medical records.”
The slow erosion of our civil liberties and privacy is a cause for social and political concern. Naomi Wolf gave a very good talk on this very theme at the University of Missouri which is worth the time it takes to view it.
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