Three Del. consent bills pass the General Assembly

DELAWARE – The criminal justice reform bills weren’t the only pieces of legislation that passed through the Delaware General Assembly late Sunday night.

Lawmakers also passed three bills designed to improve education on consent and crack down on those who violate it. Senate bill 78 would require consent education to be included in Delaware health programs for students  grades 7 through 12.

And House bill 239 would ensure doctors have informed consent from their patients before performing surgery, a move medical professionals are happy with.

“The bill has a provision that if it’s a medical emergency then the physician can do an exam so I think that’s good because sometimes it happens that there are emergencies and we have to do procedures which are needed for the health of the patient,” explains Certified Internal Dr. Uday Jani.

The third piece of legislation defines sexual assault by clearly stating that the intentional touching of another person with semen is a crime. One that would become a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,300.