The conflict of patient privacy and the Freedom of Information Act.
The purpose behind the Freedom of Information Act was to permit greater access by the public to information held by the federal government. In promoting this democratic ideal, little attention was focused on a potential problem that this access to government-held information might cause: violation of another individual's right to privacy. This article examines a recent case in which these two goals came into conflict.
D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003068:Coercion; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D028681:Moral Obligations; D009014:Morals; D012042:Registries / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D014481:United States