ACT NOW: Restore Justice for Survivors of White Coat Rape
Sign the petition to ensure justice for survivors of white coat rape!
In Texas, hospitals can be accountability-free zones for rapists in white coats.
Laura, a Houston mother of two, says she was raped by her doctor at Ben Taub Medical Center in November 2013. Reports now reveal that his employer knew of a previous sexual assault allegation against the doctor before placing him at Ben Taub.
But, as Laura told Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Falkenberg, Texas law could shield the hospital and her alleged rapist from accountability.
In 2003, Texas lawmakers passed devastating anti-patient laws, choosing to protect doctors from liability instead of patients from harm. That same law is now being interpreted to shield rapists from civil accountability.
This twisted and callous law makes hospitals refuges for rapists in white coats. And, as if rape were just another risk in a procedure, survivors of rape and assault are robbed of any meaningful civil recourse.
It has put patients at risk in a way that the author of the 2003 law, former Rep. Joe Nixon, says he never intended and leaves him “flabbergasted” and “stunned.”
Texas patients need the Legislature’s attention now. Join us in calling for lawmakers to restore justice for survivors of sexual assault. Sign the petition at www.texaswatch.org/justiceforsurvivors.
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