Professor Ikemoto Comments on Federal Court Decision for Sacramento Bee
Professor Lisa Ikemoto commented for the Sacramento Bee on a federal judge’s decision to dismiss a suit filed by a patient who was bused from a psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas to Sacramento, where he had no connections, arrangements for treatment, or housing. The judge held that there was no direct order from any state authority or any threat of punishment if the patient did not leave for Sacramento, and thus no violation of the patient’s constitutional rights.
Professor Ikemoto said that the patient would need to prove that the hospital’s decision to bus him out of state caused him personal harm, even though he eventually got medical care in Sacramento. He also would need to show that he “was forced against his will” to get on the bus, she said.
Lisa Ikemoto teaches bioethics and health law courses at the UC Davis School of Law. She has written extensively on genetic and reproductive technology, the regulation of fertility and pregnancy, and race and gender disparities in health care. Her current work examines emerging issues in regenerative medicine, including stem cell research, and the human tissues market.