Nurse arrested in blood draw dispute, testified in support of legislative bill
Jan 31, 2018, 7:39 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah Hospital nurse who was arrested for refusing to let a police officer draw blood from her patient last summer, took the stand today to testify about a new bill that would require police officers to get a warrant before collecting blood in the future.
Nurse Alex Wubbel’s arrest, last summer, prompted an apology from Salt Lake City and consequences for the two officers involved. Today, Wubbels took the stand to support a bill that she hopes will protect nurses and keep officers from repeating the mistake.
“We are here to protect our citizens,” Wubbels told Senators today,”This legislation will speak to nurses and providers within our state.”
Bill sponsor, Representative Craig Hall, said are there cases where an officer needs to draw blood for an investigation.
“But this takes that decision out of the police officer’s hands,” he said, adding that electronic warrants only take about 10 minutes to obtain, so there’s really no reason not to get one.
Learn more here: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900009097/u-nurse-alex-wubbels-testifies-for-bill-requiring-police-to-get-warrant-for-blood-draw.html