Bill > H1721

This bill proposes a comprehensive legal framework for protecting individuals' medical autonomy and privacy in Massachusetts, establishing broad protections against medical coercion across public and private sectors. The bill defines key terms like "non-invasive" and "public entity" and establishes that individuals have a civil right to refuse medical treatments, tests, procedures, interventions, specimen collection, and health information sharing without facing discrimination, stigmatization, punishment, or retaliation in employment, public accommodations, transportation, education, and other settings. Parents can also exercise these rights on behalf of their minor children, and no collective agreement can override an individual's informed consent. The bill allows individuals to sue for violations, with potential remedies including injunctions, reinstatement with back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and a minimum of $5,000 per violation. Importantly, the law provides exceptions for situations where an individual poses a direct threat to others' health and safety, requiring individualized assessments based on current medical knowledge. The bill emphasizes that emergency declarations cannot nullify these rights and that testing or medical measures must be non-invasive and uniformly applied. The law would take effect 60 days after its passage, providing immediate protections for medical autonomy in Massachusetts.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1721