RI legislation would allow doctors to apologize

Actor James Woods spoke in favor of a proposed bill that would allow doctors to apologize to their patients without legal repercussions at a House Committee on Judiciary hearing Tuesday. The "benevolent gestures" bill was introduced by Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick and Cranston. Similar legislation has been proposed seven times without passing. Thirty-six other states have already enacted some version of "I'm sorry" legislation, and the numbers of medical malpractice suits in those states have decreased, Woods said.