PENNSYLVANIA — House Bill 507, a companion to Senate Bill 549, has been sent to the desk of Pennsylvania’s Governor Shapiro for approval. The bill, which amends the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare) Act, mandates medical facilities in Pennsylvania to secure consent before performing pelvic, rectal, or prostate exams on anesthetized patients.
The proposed legislation emerges in response to startling findings from a 2019 survey, which revealed that an overwhelming 92% of medical students had carried out pelvic exams on anesthetized patients. More alarming was the revelation that 61% of these procedures were conducted without explicit patient consent.
Senator Maria Collett, a nurse and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 549, underscored the importance of this legislation. She stated, “Practitioners must learn how to administer care on actual patients, but not at the expense of a patient’s right to bodily autonomy.” Collett further highlighted the need to close an “archaic loophole” in Pennsylvania’s law, adding, “This legislation will require medical students to obtain consent from patients undergoing anesthesia before conducting a pelvic, prostate, or rectal exam for training purposes.”
House Bill 507, having received unanimous approval in both the PA Senate and House this past week, now awaits the governor’s signature. If enacted, Pennsylvania will join the ranks of at least 20 other states prohibiting nonconsensual pelvic exams, bolstering the state’s commitment to safeguarding patient rights and autonomy in medical procedures.
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