Governor Pawlenty signed H.F. 3708 into law today. Among the provision of this bill are changes for complementary and alternative health care practitioners. Specifically, this law deals with when alternative health care providers can engage in a sexual relationship with former clients.
The law had previously barred alternative health care practitioners from engaging in a sexual relationship with a former client for two years after the professional relationship had ended. The bill eliminates the waiting period. This change in law now has alternative health care practitioners being treated the same as other medical practitioners.
The ACLU-MN would also like to thank Representative Steve Simon for introducing the bill and ensuring its passage.
This bill arose out of an ACLU-MN lawsuit where the existing law empowered the Department of Health to conduct an invasive investigation into the private life of a massage therapist who married her former client after the end of their professional relationship. Volunteer attorneys for the case were Robin Wolpert and Mark Johnson of Green Espel, LLP.
"We are glad that the Minnesota Legislature and the Governor have remedied the law to ensure that the privacy rights of alternative health care practitioners are protected," said Executive Director Charles Samuelson.