Chicago ? A federal appeals court Friday upheld a lower court decision that blocks the government from obtaining abortion records from a Chicago hospital.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that while the administrative cost to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to produce the approximate 45 records would be modest, the hospital would pay a high cost in the long run by losing the trust of its patients.

“If Northwestern Memorial Hospital cannot shield its abortion patients’ records from disclosure in judicial proceedings, moreover, the hospital will lose the confidence of its patients, and persons with sensitive medical conditions may be inclined to turn elsewhere for treatment,” the court wrote.

The government is seeking the records for possible inclusion in court cases that challenge a federal ban on a type of late-term abortion that opponents call partial-birth abortion. Justice Department officials argue the records are central to claims by the challengers that the procedure is medically necessary.

The Justice Department said Friday it did not think the records it was requesting invaded patient privacy.

At least six hospitals have been targeted by Justice Department subpoenas, including university-operated facilities in Michigan, New York and Philadelphia.

Simultaneous trials on the challenges to the federal law are set to begin Monday in New York, San Francisco, and Lincoln, Neb.