Bill > SF2899

This bill establishes legal requirements for performing sensitive medical examinations (defined as pelvic, breast, urogenital, or rectal examinations) on patients who are anesthetized or unconscious. The bill mandates that such examinations can only be conducted under specific circumstances: when the patient or their legal representative has provided prior written informed consent for the specific examination or for a related surgical/diagnostic procedure, when the examination is necessary for diagnostic or treatment purposes and the patient is unable to provide consent, or when a court has ordered the examination for evidence collection purposes. Health professionals, students, and residents who perform such examinations without meeting these conditions can be charged with a gross misdemeanor and may face disciplinary action from their professional licensing board. The law is set to take effect on August 1, 2025, and will apply to any crimes committed on or after that date, effectively protecting patients from non-consensual sensitive medical examinations while ensuring necessary medical procedures can still be performed when critically important.

Health and Social Services

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2899&ssn=0&y=2025