A bill penned by a local state senator is one step closer to becoming law.
Sen. Andre Jacque’s Patient Privacy Protection Act recently passed a committee vote, and is now headed to the legislature.
Under this measure, hospitals would be required 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 said of the bill, “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 has garnered support from both sides of the political aisle, as well as organizations such as the Wisconsin Nurses Association, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health and End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin.
