Lawmakers Launch New Study Into Quincy’s Law
House Judiciary hears emotional testimony from parents, physicians, and experts on misdiagnosed child-abuse cases
Arkansas lawmakers took up a new interim study Thursday on Quincy’s Law — legislation intended to guarantee parents access to their children’s medical records — as parents and medical experts told the House Judiciary Committee that incomplete or withheld records at Arkansas Children’s Hospital are complicating wrongful child-abuse accusations.
The study, ISP 2025-041, sponsored by Rep. Karilyn Brown, ties into a broader legislative push this fall to examine child-abuse investigations, screening standards, and medical practices after lawmakers reported repeated concerns about misdiagnoses and the use of incomplete medical files in maltreatment cases.
A pattern of missing records, parents say
Multiple parents testified they were denied medical records entirely or received incomplete files, especially from emergency and psychiatric departments. One mother said her husband was arrested for abuse just a day after their daughter’s surgery — even though initial scans showed no injury and later findings were later described by independent radiologists as consistent with medical complications, not abuse.
A recurring theme across witnesses: when families sought the full medical chart to defend themselves, Arkansas Children’s “did not release all the records,” according to several parents.
Brown told the committee she had been informed by DHS that parents should receive all records unless parental rights have been terminated and they would step in to help wrangle with hospitals to get them. “Why are parents being denied access?” Brown asked. “And why are they not getting the complete record?”
Rep. Howard Beaty questioned why DHS was not present at the hearing and suggested the Attorney General may need to intervene if hospitals are not complying with the law. “Why do we need a state agency getting involved to get records the hospital should already be providing?” he asked.
Medical experts: Connective-tissue disorders often mimic abuse
A panel of physicians, genetic-testing experts, and therapists testified that conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) can cause symptoms commonly misinterpreted as signs of abuse — including unexplained bruising, joint dislocations, bone weakness, rashes, severe pain, and disproportionate injuries from minor falls.
Several key points emerged:
- EDS and related disorders are severely underdiagnosed, especially in Arkansas.
- Most children cannot obtain a diagnosis, because only a handful of specialists recognize the condition.
- 90% of EDS subtypes have no genetic test, requiring broad, often expensive testing to rule out other causes.
- Children’s bodies react differently to force, meaning traditional “abuse indicators” may not apply.
Dr. Cassandra Cole, an ER physician who herself was diagnosed with hypermobile EDS only recently, emphasized that the lack of medical training on connective-tissue disorders puts both doctors and families at risk. “If I can miss this for 40 years — through medical school, residency, and practice — it is very easy for others to miss,” she said.
The experts described routine incidents: ankles dislocating from pulling up a bedsheet, large “goose egg” swellings from mild bumps, or skin welts that appear simply from picking up a child. Without medical awareness, they said, families are vulnerable to wrongful accusations.
A system under strain
Thursday’s testimony echoed issues lawmakers raised in other recent hearings: high-stakes abuse decisions made quickly, inconsistent medical interpretations, and a lack of specialized expertise in rare pediatric conditions.
Brown said she intends to work with DHS, medical professionals, and advocacy groups to refine her 2025 bill and address the recurring record-access problems at Arkansas Children’s. She also acknowledged prior resistance from prosecutors, who argued the bill could allow abusive parents access to sensitive images — a claim she said derailed earlier versions.
The committee ultimately adopted the ISP, allowing Brown to continue her research and return with legislative recommendations. Chair Carol Dalby emphasized the vote does not signal endorsement of a bill, but authorizes further study.
