The Michigan Senate voted unanimously today to explicitly ban using medical treatment as a pretext for sexual contact. Colin Jackson has more.
The bills are part of a years-in-the-making response to sexual abuse at the hands of former Michigan State University athletics Doctor Larry Nassar. He used exams to assault dozens of patients. Democratic Senator Stephanie Chang says the circumstances deserve their own legislation.
“Just recognizing the additional harm that’s caused by someone who’s in this position of authority who’s in this position of authority, who’s a trusted health professional, someone who’s going in to seek medical care and then abusing them under the guise of medical treatment, it’s really extreme in a different way.”
Other parts of the package would encourage more sexual assault awareness and education materials in schools.
