Changes needed in bill barring sex offenders from health care jobs

Here is something very interesting and typical of lawmakers whose goal is 15 minutes of fame and voters supporting them.

First, in the comments to the article is one from Rep. Jones, he says: "" The ACLU was "blowing smoke" at the committee. The law is clearly aimed at adults who commit horrible crimes. A "Romeo-Juliet" offense that occurred at 13 can be removed from a juvenile record by the judge. The victim testified at the House committee that the suspect not only drugged and raped her;She said he urinated on her and filmed it. No one should ever get a medical license back who has committed these crimes. The law is badly needed. N.O.W. was in favor of the legislation. I asked the ACLU person who came to the committee if she would let her family go to the dentist and she said "No!" But she still defends the right of the guy to practice on your family. ".

Now, if the proposed law -as written- permits the reader to make a claim as the ACLU apparently did, then guess what? The bill MUST be amended to prohibit such a construction, if that was not the intent of the lawmaker. Far to often lawmakers fail to review proposed laws to see what collateral consequences could occur by the wording of their bills. If offenders are to be held accountable, so should lawmakers! PS: I can think of other possible constructions which lawmakers may have or may not have meant... Reasonable men differ on the intent of this proposed law; REWRITE IT! Bills are to protect society not one single person.

12-17-2009 Michigan:

There's a bill in a Michigan House committee that would bar convicted sex offenders from working as health care providers.

While the proposal, in general, deserves support some changes are needed.

The bill was introduced by Republican Rick Jones of Grand Ledge, following a complaint from a woman who had learned that a dentist she claimed had drugged and sexually assaulted her was still practicing dentistry.

According to the legislator, the woman was a patient of Donald R. Quinn, a dentist with a practice in Farmington Hills, and she was assaulted during what was to have been a routine cleaning. The victim "begged me to do something about it," Jones said.

He has. The bill would prevent those convicted of first-, second- or third-degree criminal sexual conduct from obtaining a license to provide health care or have a previous license reinstated.

"I am totally shocked that the state of Michigan would give this man his license back," Jones said. "How many more women and children need to be raped before we fix this?"

In fact, professional as well as criminal sanctions were applied to the dentist.

In 2002, he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of possession of the drug Ecstasy and one count of possession of a stun gun. He spent a year in jail and five years on probation. Following a recommendation from an administrative law judge, the state Board of Dentistry reinstated his license for a 2-year period in 2007.

It imposed some limitations: Quinn would be supervised by another dentist preapproved by the state board, couldn't possess or prescribe controlled substances and would be subject to random unannounced visits by a board member. Quinn now practices in the Thumb community of Millington.

The American Civil Liberties Union opposes the bill, in part on grounds that its application is too broad. A spokeswoman pointed out that one provider's license has been revoked because at the age of 13 he had had sex with a 12-year-old cousin.

"What does a Romeo-and-Juliet event have to do with a health care license?"

We'd like to know the answer, too.

It isn't enough to say, as Jones does, that sex offenders never change. He's a former county sheriff. "In my experience as a law enforcement agent for 33 years, very few rapists are ever totally cured. I believe statistics that say they can be are false."

Perhaps, when applied to adults. But we wonder how many teenagers who had sex with a same-age partner went on to become hard-core sexual predators.

Sexual assault is viewed as a crime of domination and control more than sexual gratification. When someone in a medical profession abuses a patient's trust, that person should never work in the profession again. ..Source.. Daily Tribune