Partner Nathaniel Lacktman was quoted in a Modern Healthcare article, “Iowa Abortion Cases Could Have Broader Telehealth Implications,” on March 11, 2015, which discussed the oral arguments for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland Inc. and Dr. Jill Meadows v. Iowa Board of Medicine, a case that revolves around whether abortions should be allowed through telemedicine in Iowa.
Lacktman was quoted saying, “Unfortunately, what all this Iowa activity fails to recognize is that telemedicine is simply a conduit technology through which the services are provided. No other healthcare tool has proved itself as powerful and capable to reach critically underserved patients in rural and urban areas, alike.”
He explained the greater case implications stating, “If the court rules against Planned Parenthood, it may cause other states to look at their state boards of medicine as the vehicle for greater influence on telemedicine, especially for (using) it for abortions. It could open the door to people exploring it as an opportunity to achieve some of their political ends in a way that may be quicker or easier than the full-on legislative process of their state.”
