An Act to create 50.373 of the statutes; Relating to: pelvic exams on unconscious patients and creating an administrative rule related to hospital requirements for pelvic exams on unconscious patients.
Summary
AB11 would require hospitals in Wisconsin to obtain written informed consent before performing a pelvic examination solely for educational purposes on a patient who is under general anesthesia or otherwise unconscious. The bill is narrowly focused on non-therapeutic pelvic exams used for training or instructional purposes, rather than exams done for diagnosis or treatment.
In addition to creating a new statute, the bill directs the Department of Health Services to adopt an administrative rule requiring hospitals to maintain written policies and procedures that reflect the same consent requirement. The rule would apply to hospital practices and internal compliance standards, making the consent obligation part of facility policy as well as state law.
Impact
If enacted, AB11 would add a new patient-consent requirement to Wisconsin law under s. 50.373 and would also require DHS to create a corresponding hospital rule under DHS 124.10. The practical effect would be to regulate hospital training practices involving pelvic exams on unconscious patients, requiring documentation of written consent before such exams may be performed for educational purposes. Hospitals would need to update policies, procedures, and staff training to ensure compliance, and patients would gain an explicit legal protection against unauthorized educational pelvic exams while unconscious.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no detailed public debate captured in the provided materials. Based on the bill text and its bipartisan list of introducers and cosponsors, the measure appears to have been framed as a patient-consent and hospital-policy bill rather than a controversial substantive overhaul. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not advance to enactment despite introduction.
Contention
The main point of contention would likely be whether hospitals should be required to obtain explicit written consent for pelvic exams performed only for educational purposes when a patient is unconscious, and how burdensome that requirement would be for hospital training programs. Supporters would be expected to emphasize patient autonomy, informed consent, and protection from non-therapeutic exams without permission, while any critics would likely focus on administrative burden, training impacts, or whether existing consent practices are sufficient. No specific objections or named opponents are included in the provided transcripts or vote history.
Crossfiled
An Act to create 50.373 of the statutes; Relating to: pelvic exams on unconscious patients and creating an administrative rule related to hospital requirements for pelvic exams on unconscious patients.