1 year ago
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LOS BANOS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - After aggregate women successful Los Banos accidental they were sexually assaulted by their ultrasound technician, authorities has present been introduced successful the California State Assembly aimed astatine preventing this from happening ever again.
The legislation, introduced by Merced Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, is successful nonstop effect to allegations of maltreatment astatine Sutter Health's Los Banos Memorial Hospital. Multiple women accidental they were sexually assaulted by their technician portion experiencing emergencies, miscarriages and pregnancy.
During a property league Wednesday, Soria announced the details of some AB 848 and AB 849.
Soria was approached by lawyer Amanda Whitten aft she worked connected a civilian suit representing the women. One of those women spoke retired astatine the property conference, sharing her story.
"I went to the infirmary seeking answers and I got assaulted instead," Celi Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez went to the infirmary portion experiencing unbearable pain. She was ordered to person a pelvic ultrasound.
Gonzalez is simply a parent of 5 children and says she has had her just stock of ultrasounds and knew what to expect. But she says she ne'er would person predicted what happened to her successful May 2020.
"I was questioning my ain sanity. Is this truly happening?" she said.
Soria says her authorities would summation penalties for abusers and supply much grooming to forestall assaults from happening successful the archetypal place.
"Women successful California merit to consciousness harmless erstwhile they question aesculapian treatment. So strengthening penalties volition nonstop that wide connection that we volition not tolerate perpetrators hiding down a aesculapian facility," Soria said.
AB 848 would springiness tougher consequences for intersexual artillery by fraud erstwhile the transgression happens successful a infirmary setting. If convicted, offenders could look up to 8 years successful situation and fines up to $20,000. As the instrumentality stands now, it's capped astatine $10,000 successful fines and up to 4 years successful prison.
AB 849 would absorption connected grooming and would necessitate chaperones to beryllium contiguous for ultrasounds. Whitten, who represents the women successful a civilian lawsuit, says due grooming could person prevented assaults connected galore of her clients.
"No 1 ever told them what to do. So immoderate of the women would basal down a curtain. And 1 pistillate faced the wall. One of my clients was assaulted with a chaperon successful the room, but the chaperon was facing a partition playing connected her phone, and these women conscionable didn't cognize what their relation was oregon what they were expected to beryllium doing," Whitten said.
The transgression lawsuit of the accused ultrasound tech is inactive ongoing.
