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Senate unanimously passes bill banning nonconsensual pelvic exams during procedures
Summary
The Utah Senate approved a substitute to SB 188 that requires patient consent for pelvic exams and seeks to prevent nonconsensual exams; sponsors and several senators described the practice as 'horrifying' and the bill passed with near-unanimous support.
The Utah Senate approved first substitute Senate Bill 188 on a wide bipartisan margin and sent it to the House. The substitute was described by sponsor Senator McKay as intended to prevent nonconsensual pelvic exams, requiring patient consent for any pelvic exam regardless of gender.
Senator McKay told the chamber the bill "is intended to prevent nonconsensual pelvic exams" and described the measure as a response to recent media accounts and studies. Senators from both parties voiced strong support on the floor: Senator Wyler said he was "absolutely horrified" by the accounts of the practice and Senator Henderson described the need for the bill as "appalling." Several senators cited medical journal accounts and public reporting as the impetus for action.
Senators asked few technical questions and the sponsor waived summation before calling the question. The roll call recorded the first substitute SB 188 as passing with a near-unanimous vote (first substitute SB188 recorded as 29 yea, 0 nay, 1 absent) and the bill will be transmitted to the House for consideration.
