Committee hears bill to require informed consent before intimate exams on unconscious or anesthetized patients

Senator Jana Hughes introduced LB 110 to the Health and Human Services Committee, asking that Nebraska require informed consent before health care providers perform manual or internal pelvic, breast, prostate or rectal examinations on unconscious or anesthetized patients.

Hughes said the proposal is preventive: "I would like to state for the record that I've looked into this and I've now found no evidence that this has happened in our hospitals or care facilities here in Nebraska. That being said, if we can address this before it happens, prevent miscommunication or worse, then we should do that." The bill, as amended, would expand the consent requirement beyond pelvic exams to other intimate examinations and would allow exceptions for emergency care, court‑ordered evidence collection, and consent by…