PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The long-standing practice of Pennsylvania medical students performing pelvic exams on unconscious patients may soon come to an end. Lawmakers have advanced a ban in the Pa. House in Harrisburg, saying many patients consider them an invasion of their privacy.
A bill that cleared a House committee Wednesday would prohibit any health care provider or medical student from performing prostate, rectal or pelvic examinations on patients without their consent.
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler spoke about a woman in her South Philadelphia district who was troubled about what might have happened to her during a pelvic exam while she was under anesthesia.
“She went directly to her doctor to ask for answers, and ask a lot of questions. Unfortunately she received few answers to her questions because there was no record of what could have occurred,” Fiedler said.
“I have to say I was shocked. And the more I researched the situation the more and more horrified I was as a lawmaker and someone who’s been a patient.”
Fiedler says medical professionals should receive written or verbal consent.
“I think it's also important to point out that it's of course important to us that highly trained medical professionals receive the training that they need so that they can provide high quality care across Pennsylvania,” she said.
“I learned that in the commonwealth that medical students can, legally, perform a pelvic or rectal exam on a patient that is under anesthesia, and I want to be clear that in these cases we’re referring to are for training purposes not for the health and care of the patient.”
Twenty-six other states have banned such exams without consent. A push to do so in Pennsylvania in 2020 was unsuccessful.
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