A bill penned by a local state senator has passed a committee vote.
The Patient Privacy Protection Act, introduced by Senator Andre Jacque, was approved by an Assembly Committee, after clearing a Senate committee vote last month.
The measure aims to require hospitals to protect women by obtaining their explicit written consent before medical students could perform pelvic exams on female patients who are unconscious or under anesthesia.
Sen. Jacque noted that many women have told their stories of sexual assault and harassment in a hospital setting, leading to the creation of this bill.
The Senator from New Franken explained, “Female patients deserve to have their bodily integrity respected when they are unconscious and vulnerable during a medical procedure. Requiring explicit consent will not threaten medical education; the majority of patients will agree to these examinations, which will improve the system of medical education by teaching students the importance of informed consent in protecting their female patients.”
The bill will now go before the full Senate and Assembly before going to Governor Tony Evers’ desk.
