Utah Weighs Ban on Consensual S*x Between Nursing Home Residents and Unlicensed Caregivers

Mumbai, February 26: Utah officials are confronting a growing ethical and legal dilemma over seemingly consensual s*xual relationships between elderly residents in long-term care facilities and unlicensed caregivers employed at those homes.

The issue came to light after several troubling incidents were detailed by Fox 13. In one case, an 18-year-old high school student working at a nursing home reportedly engaged in sx with multiple residents and even encouraged friends to apply for jobs at the facility. In another incident, a nursing assistant allegedly began a sxual relationship with a resident more than 50 years older than she was. Police also reported finding a physical therapy aide attempting to have s*x with an 80-year-old woman who had been listed as missing. US Shocker: Indiana School Secretary Admits Relationship With Student After Husband Catches Them Having S*x on Valentine’s Day 2026, Faces Felony Charges.

When questioned by authorities about whether he had genuine romantic feelings for the woman, the aide reportedly said, “No. But she wanted me to, and I was willing,” according to Kaye Lynn Wootton, director of the Medicaid Fraud and Patient Abuse Division within the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Donald Trump Forced Minor Girl to Perform Oral S*x, New Epstein Files Reveal.

Wootton shared these cases with state lawmakers while warning about the risks posed by such relationships. Although some may appear consensual, she stressed they can create serious power imbalances between residents and those responsible for their daily care.

“Imagine when that relationship, if there was a real relationship, goes south,” she said. “Those same people have to bathe them and dress them. And it’s just inappropriate and puts these people in a very bad position.”

Under Utah law, non-consensual contact between staff and patients in long-term care facilities is illegal. Licensed professionals such as doctors and nurses are also barred from entering even consensual s*xual relationships with patients. However, those restrictions do not apply to unlicensed workers such as CNAs, housekeepers, or food service staff.

State Sen. Jennifer Plumb sponsored legislation last year aimed at closing that gap. She told Fox 13 that she had heard repeated accounts of “individuals who had jumped from one facility to another facility to another facility to another facility” while becoming involved in relationships at each stop.

“I think this is happening frequently enough we probably need to look at what sort of standard we can set up and what sort of protections we can put in place,” Plumb said.

While she initially preferred a licensing solution, she acknowledged challenges in implementing it statewide. “There has to be a criminal penalty piece associated with it,” she argued. “Otherwise, we are not going to be able to track these and we are also not going to be able to disincentivize it.”

Not everyone agrees with criminalizing such relationships. Nate Crippes, an attorney with the Disability Law Center, warned that a blanket ban could unfairly target caregivers while raising discrimination concerns.

“My colleague uses a wheelchair,” Crippes told FOX 13. “And if each of us were to engage in s*xual conduct with a nurse who was providing us care or something like that, it would be a crime for that nurse if she or he did that with him but not with me. And that really seemed discriminatory to us.”

Crippes also argued that if unlicensed workers are routinely fired for inappropriate relationships, existing accountability systems may already be functioning.

“If there’s a subset of the health care industry — you know, the CNAs or the techs or whatever they are — that are unregulated such that they can go around and engage in activity they shouldn’t, get fired, and then just go get another job, I don’t think the answer is to criminalize that,” he said.

As Utah lawmakers continue to debate possible reforms, the issue highlights the complex balance between protecting vulnerable seniors and respecting personal autonomy within long-term care settings.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 26, 2026 10:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).