PRINTER'S NO. 197
No. 215 Session of 1995
INTRODUCED BY SATHER, GRUPPO, BLAUM, GORDNER, CARONE, NAILOR,
M. COHEN, FLICK, STABACK, NICKOL, VANCE, MILLER, GEIST,
PHILLIPS, FARGO, E. Z. TAYLOR, M. N. WRIGHT, COY, WOGAN,
TRUE, HALUSKA, SAYLOR, KREBS, BAKER, GODSHALL, PITTS, ITKIN,
PETTIT, CORNELL, BEBKO-JONES, FAIRCHILD, TRELLO, CLARK, BUNT,
STURLA, HERSHEY, ARMSTRONG, HENNESSEY, HERMAN, RUBLEY, STERN,
TIGUE, SURRA, CURRY, JOSEPHS, STEELMAN, MUNDY, RAYMOND AND
YOUNGBLOOD, JANUARY 24, 1995
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
JANUARY 24, 1995
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, further providing for medical history
3 information.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. The definition of "medical history information"
7 in section 2102 of Title 23 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
8 Statutes is amended to read:
9 § 2102. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this part shall
11 have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
12 meanings given to them in this section:
13 * * *
14 "Medical history information." Medical records and other
15 information concerning an adoptee or an adoptee's natural family
1 which is relevant to the adoptee's present or future health care
2 or medical treatment. The term includes:
3 (1) otherwise confidential or privileged information
4 provided that identifying contents have been removed pursuant
5 to section 2909 (relating to medical history information)[.];
6 and
7 (2) information about the natural parents which may be
8 relevant to a potential hereditary or congenital medical
9 problem, whether or not the problem is in existence or
10 discoverable at the time of the adoption.
11 * * *
12 Section 2. Section 2909(b) and (c) of Title 23 are amended
13 and the section is amended by adding a subsection to read:
14 § 2909. Medical history information.
15 * * *
16 (a.1) Registration and updating.--The Department of Health
17 shall, upon request, make available to courts, adoption agencies
18 and individuals forms that enable parents whose rights have been
19 terminated to register and update medical history information
20 with the department and with the court which entered the decree
21 of termination.
22 (b) Editing of information.--[In all cases] Except as
23 provided in section 2905 (relating to impounding of proceedings
24 and access to records), medical history information shall be
25 edited before delivery or release by the department so as to
26 remove any contents which would identify the adoptee's natural
27 family.
28 (c) Regulations.--The [Pennsylvania Department of Health]
29 department shall implement the provisions of this section by
30 regulation.
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1 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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