The Utah Legislature's Judiciary Interim Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to draft a bill outlining when a police officer may be permitted to draw blood from a patient without consent, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
The move follows the Aug. 31 release of bodycam footage showing the forcible arrest of Alex Wubbels, RN, at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City in July. Ms. Wubbels was arrested for enforcing hospital policy preventing blood draws from unconscious patients without consent.
Republican state Senator Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said consent for blood draws has become both a state and national issue since the video's release.
"It['s] important for us to show the public that when there is a high-profile incident like this that really outraged a lot of people, including myself, that we're addressing that," Mr. Weiler told The Salt Lake Tribune.
The legislative committee hopes to have a draft of the bill completed in November in preparation for the legislative session, which begins January 2018.
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