Non-Consensual Patient Research (H 7301, S 2394)

These bills would allow healthcare facilities to conduct certain human-subject research without following the standard protocols requiring informed patient consent and confidentiality. While any such research would need to be approved by an institutional review board and be in accordance with federal regulations governing these special circumstances, the newest version of the bills go one step further by eliminating current language in the law that requires healthcare facilities engaged in this type of human research to file a public copy of their research protocol with Deptartment of Health. The ACLU of RI opposed this legislation, which passed both chamber.

Read the letter ACLU of RI and the Mental Health Advocate sent to RI Senators raising concerns about this bill.