LANSING, MI (WTVB) – Michigan State Representative Jennifer Wortz, a Quincy Republican, has introduced new legislation aimed at protecting parents’ rights to seek second opinions for their children’s medical care without fear of legal repercussions.
House Bill 5163 is designed to prevent parents from being charged with child neglect while they are in the process of seeking or following the recommendations of a different healthcare professional.
Wortz emphasized that parents often want the best care for their children, and obtaining additional medical advice to confirm a diagnosis and determine the optimal treatment plan should be an acceptable and protected course of action.
Wortz highlighted local instances where parents faced legal action simply for pursuing care from another medical source after receiving initial direction from one doctor. She argued that medical professionals should not be able to initiate proceedings against parents who are simply trying to “get the facts straight.”
Wortz also noted that doctors are not parents and may have financial biases in their treatment recommendations, making the right to a second opinion critical. Wortz called the necessity for such legislation “absurd” but maintained that legal protections are necessary due to what she described as the “weaponization of the medical and legal system.” HB 5163 has been referred to the House Committee on Families and Veterans for further review.
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