Did you know that it’s legal in Pennsylvania for medical providers to perform nonconsensual pelvic, prostate, and rectal exams on patients as part of medical training under anesthesia or unconscious?
Nonconsensual pelvic, prostate, and rectal exams are deeply rooted in racism and sexism, violate a patient’s right to bodily autonomy, disproportionately affect women generally and Black women in particular, and harm medical students as well as patients.
A growing number of states have banned this heinous practice as it has gained mainstream attention and backlash, but it is not yet prohibited in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania House Bill 507 would prohibit health care providers or students from performing pelvic, prostate, or rectal exams on unconscious or anesthetized patients without first obtaining specific informed consent verbally and in written form, except during medical emergencies.
HB 507 is scheduled for a vote in the House Health Committee at 10AM on Wednesday, March 29.
Take Action!
Learn more about this issue and HB 507 here and download a fact sheet here.
Contact chair Rep. Dan Frankel and co-chair Rep. Kathy Rapp to express support for House Bill 507 ahead of the vote. Is your Representative on the Health Committee? Check here and contact them also!
Share this information online and with friends and family.
Women’s Law Project is a non-profit public interest law center in Pennsylvania devoted to advancing and defending the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania and beyond.
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