SENATE DOCKET, NO. 935        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1219

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Joanne M. Comerford

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act prohibiting non-consensual pelvic examinations.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

Joanne M. Comerford

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester

 

Mindy Domb

3rd Hampshire

 

Rebecca L. Rausch

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

1/25/2019

Cynthia Stone Creem

First Middlesex and Norfolk

2/1/2019

Maria Duaime Robinson

6th Middlesex

2/7/2019

William N. Brownsberger

Second Suffolk and Middlesex

3/22/2019

Joan B. Lovely

Second Essex

4/16/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

4/25/2019

Joseph A. Boncore

First Suffolk and Middlesex

12/13/2019


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 935        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1219

By Ms. Comerford, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1219) of Joanne M. Comerford, Mindy Domb, Rebecca L. Rausch, Cynthia Stone Creem and others for legislation to prohibit non-consensual pelvic examinations.  Public Health.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act prohibiting non-consensual pelvic examinations.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section 70H the following new section:-

SECTION 70I:  No physician, medical student, or health care provider shall perform a pelvic examination on an anesthetized or unconscious patient without first obtaining the written informed consent from the patient unless the performance of a pelvic examination is within the scope of care for the surgical procedure or diagnostic examination to be performed on the patient or is required for diagnostic purposes.