Legislation being considered to prevent assault disguised as medical care

LANSING, Mich. (WNEM) - Legislation is being considered by Michigan lawmakers that would make it harder for doctors to sexually assault patients under the guise of medical care.

The package of bills was first introduced in 2018 after the Larry Nassar scandal. Nassar is a convicted child molester who used his position as a doctor to sexually assault hundreds of victims.

Some of the highlights of the proposed bills include,

• no vaginal or anal penetration of a minor for medical reasons unless the written consent of a parent or guardian is first obtained, unless it’s a medical emergency, or taking a patient’s temperature,
• health professionals must expressly state in a patient’s medical record whether anal or vaginal penetration was performed during a medical service unless the reason was to take a patient’s temperature, and
• the Michigan Department of Education must develop and make available materials related sexual assault and harassment for grades 6 through 12 by June 1, 2024.

The series of bills are designed to prevent doctors from being able to sexually assault patients under the guise of medical care. Supporters of the proposed measures are hoping the bills can become law now that Democrats control all three chambers of state government.

In other Nassar news, the Michigan State Board of Trustees did not hold a vote on the release of 6,000 documents tied to Nassar despite repeated requests by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to have those documents released.

Nessel issued a statement that said, “It’s a disappointing outcome from the new board. With new leadership and new members, we expected more from the board of trustees, and hoped they were as dedicated to accountability and transparency for their student-victims as the Department of Attorney General continues to be. We have made a sincere plea to every iteration of this board, and we will keep up this fight for transparency at every opportunity. But the University that shielded Larry Nassar from justice and this new board who refused today to take the vote, still has something to prove to the people of Michigan, the current students they ought to protect, and the Nassar victims the school has failed for decades.”

The package of bills is out of a Senate committee, but they are in now in the full Senate for consideration.

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