A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to strip medical care providers of their license to practice if they’re found guilty of sexual misconduct under the pretext of treatment.
The pair of bills are part of a response to allegations of sexual abuse against the late former University of Michigan doctor Robert Anderson.
State Representative Julie Brixie (D-Okemos) said although these bills would cause a convicted doctor to lose their medical license, there’s more work to be done.
“They would have to be convicted of that in order for that to happen and the problem is you can’t get a conviction if you’ve gone beyond the statute of limitations,” Brixie said.
Brixie said the average age of disclosure for survivors of child crimes is 52.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers previously expanded the statute of limitations for second- and third-degree child sex crimes in 2018 to only 15 years after the incident or until the survivor’s 28th birthday.
“Eighty-six percent of child sex abuse goes unreported because Michigan’s statute of limitations is among the narrowest in the entire country,” Brixie said.
She said lawmakers are also looking at opening a so-called “revival window” so more accusers of Dr. Anderson can come forward.
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