Protecting Bodily Sovereignty and Intimate Examinations: Georgia Must Lead on Informed, Ethical Healthcare Consent in the Operating Room

By State Representative Kim Schofield (D-Atlanta)

(1036 words)

Every day in Georgia, patients enter operating rooms believing they will receive care that honors their dignity. They trust that our healthcare system will protect them, not violate their autonomy. Yet, across the country-and historically in Georgia-patients have undergone intimate breast, pelvic, rectal, prostate, urogenital or anal exams, while unconscious, without their explicit informed consent. This practice, often conducted for training purposes, has persisted quietly for decades.

I support Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network's (RAINN) national recommendations making this issue unmistakably clear: informed consent for all intimate exams is not just ethical; it is essential for patient safety, trauma prevention and trust. It is time for Georgia to lead with clear, enforceable legislation that ends involuntary pelvic exams once and for all.

Why informed consent is non-negotiable:

Informed consent is the foundation of medical ethics. It promises that before any exam or procedure, a patient has the right to know what will happen, who will do it and why it is being done. But many patients-largely women-have awakened from surgery to learn that intimate exams were performed on their unconscious bodies for educational purposes without their knowledge.

This is not consent. This is not education. This is a violation of bodily autonomy.

For survivors of sexual assault, the trauma of discovering such an exam can mirror past harm. For communities historically marginalized in healthcare-Black women, low-income patients and LGBTQ+ individuals-the impact is magnified. When trust in health institutions fractures, patients delay or avoid necessary care. Health inequities deepen and preventable suffering grows.

If our goal is a fair, equitable and compassionate healthcare system, this practice cannot continue.

The Georgia imperative:

Georgia has made limited progress but gaps remain. Protections are inconsistent across institutions, leaving too many patients unprotected. As legislators, we must ensure that dignity is not dependent on which hospital a person uses or which training program is present.

As someone who has devoted her career to advancing health equity, championing women and girls and uplifting vulnerable communities, I cannot overlook a practice that undermines the trust patients place in medical professionals. The operating room must be a sanctuary of healing, not a place where consent is treated as optional.

What Georgia must do now:

Georgia must adopt a comprehensive informed-consent statute with the following core protections:

1. Require explicit consent for all intimate exams.

This includes pelvic, rectal, prostate, breast, anal or urogenital exams performed by medical students, residents or trainees. Consent cannot be implied or hidden in general surgical paperwork. It must be clear, separate and specific.

Patients must be informed of:

• The nature and purpose of the exam;
• Who will perform it;
• Whether it is medically necessary or educational;
• Whether students or trainees will participate.

Such transparency protects both patients and ethical medical educators.

2. Ban unnecessary intimate exams on unconscious patients.

If an intimate exam is not medically necessary for a patient's direct care, it must not be performed while the patient is anesthetized unless explicit prior consent has been given. No exceptions or loopholes.

3. Ensure accountability through licensing and enforcement.

A law without enforcement is merely a suggestion. Violations must constitute professional misconduct and trigger action by licensing boards. Hospitals must demonstrate compliance through updated policies, documentation and provider training.

4. Strengthen trauma-informed medical education.

Medical and nursing schools must train students and professionals in ethical exam practices, patient autonomy and sexual assault trauma. Training must reflect modern ethics-not outdated norms that silence patient choice.

5. Rebuild trust with patients-especially those historically harmed.

Ending non-consensual intimate exams is both a medical and moral step. Many Georgia patients, especially Black and Brown women, already carry justified mistrust of medical institutions rooted in generations of exploitation. Clear protections help rebuild trust in communities long ignored, dismissed or mistreated.

Not a partisan issue-a human one:

This is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It is a human rights issue. No person believes their unconscious body should be used for intimate exam training without consent. No parent, spouse or caregiver wants to learn that their loved one experienced an invasive exam that was never discussed or disclosed.

There is no constituency for non-consensual pelvic exams. There is no justification-educational or otherwise-for overriding patient autonomy.

Georgia legislators must unify around this. When we legislate with clarity and compassion, we show that our state prioritizes ethical medical care, patient dignity and bodily sovereignty.

A call to healthcare systems:

Hospitals and medical schools should not wait for legislation. They can begin today by:

• Updating consent forms;
• Adopting separate consent for intimate exams;
• Training staff on trauma-informed care;
• Aligning with national best practices.

Ethical institutions should lead by example, proving that patient dignity is not merely a legal requirement but a moral priority.

A call to my legislative colleagues:

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in working together, introducing and advancing a strong informed-consent bill. In fact, my legislative colleague, State Representative Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), filed House Bill 1428 during the 2024 legislative session, which would prohibit pelvic and rectal examinations on unconscious patients. I encourage legislators to support this bill to combat this ongoing issue.

Georgia can join the states that have already enacted laws banning unauthorized pelvic exams and expand protections to all intimate exams for all patients. Georgia can and must lead.

A call to our communities:

To the people in Georgia: ask questions before procedures. Advocate for your loved ones. Demand transparency. Understand your right to consent clearly, specifically and separately. Your voice strengthens our collective call for justice.

The legacy we are building:

My work as a legislator, health-equity advocate and global ambassador has taught me that justice requires courage. Protecting informed consent is not only policy work; it is trauma prevention, equity in action and respect made visible.

When a patient enters surgery, their body must not become a training ground without permission. Their silence under anesthesia must never be interpreted as consent.

Let Georgia be the state that declares with conviction and compassion that every body deserves dignity, every patient deserves respect and every intimate exam requires informed consent. That is the future we must build, and that is the standard Georgia's people deserve.

Representative Kim Schofield represents the citizens of District 63, which includes a portion of Fulton County. She was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2017 and currently serves as Secretary of the Urban Affairs Committee. She also serves on the Creative Arts & Entertainment, Health, Industry and Labor and Small Business Development committees.

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