February 5, 2004 | Tell a Friend

Action Needed

Background

All NOW Actions

More on Reproductive Rights Issues
Urge Congress to Support Emergency Contraception
for Rape Survivors

Action Needed:

Please contact your senators and representative and insist that they
support S. 1564 or H.R. 2527, the Compassionate Assistance for Rape
Emergencies Act. This legislation would require all hospitals to
offer emergency contraception (EC)—the equivalent of a large dose of
birth control pills that inhibits ovulation, fertilization or
implantation before pregnancy occurs—to survivors of rape or sexual
assault.

It is a national shame that survivors of sexual assault, rape and
incest are denied an important medical option as part of their
treatment. Many hospitals refuse to inform trauma victims about EC
and many more refuse to administer it or write a prescription for
the patient. Even with a prescription, women are being turned away
by some pharmacies.

Even though the Food and Drug Administration is currently
considering making EC available "over the counter" without a
prescription, this will still not help the women who go to a
hospital after a rape and need the option of taking EC on the spot.
(EC is more effective the sooner it is taken.) As advocates, we must
demand that our members of Congress support this bill and we must
censure them when they don't. Voters need to know where their
members of Congress stand on this issue.

Organizations and individuals who care about helping survivors of
rape and sexual assault can take action in their own communities to
ensure that all hospitals provide EC as part of their medical
services to victims of sexual violence.

Again, please contact your senators and representative and insist
that they support S. 1564 or H.R. 2527, the Compassionate Assistance
for Rape Emergencies Act.

Background:

The Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act, coined
the "CARE" Act (H.R. 2527 and S. 1564), was introduced by
Representatives Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) and Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.) in
the House of Representatives and by Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) in
the Senate. These bills will ensure that hospital emergency rooms
offer EC to survivors of sexual assault, just as they patch up
broken bones, stitch wounds and offer antibiotics for infections and
sexually transmitted diseases.

We know that rape and sexual assault statistics are understated
because many of these crimes go unreported. Records from
confidential interviews of women aged 12 and over show that almost
249,000 women were raped or sexually assaulted in 2000. An estimated
one in six women will be a victim of rape in her lifetime and more
than 32,000 women become pregnant annually as a result of rape or
sexual assault, yet few women know about EC.

Offering information and access to EC within 72 (and up to 120)
hours after a sexual assault could prevent countless unwanted
pregnancies. The option to use EC after an emergency room visit
could be a life-saver for tens of thousands of sexual assault
survivors who go to an emergency room.

The American Medical Association's official policy stipulates
that "information about emergency contraception is part of the
comprehensive information to be provided as part of the emergency
treatment of sexual assault victims." However, a recent study found
that only 28 percent of the hospitals surveyed routinely offer and
provide EC to survivors of sexual assault. The problem of
availability of EC is made even more difficult by a recent wave of
hospital closings and mergers, where private and community hospitals
are being taken over by religious-based owners that are opposed to
including birth control and EC in their treatment regimen.

Every member of Congress, especially those members who say they care
about stopping violence against girls and women and helping
survivors of rape and sexual assault, should support this
legislation. Providing EC is not the same as performing abortions—on
the contrary, EC prevents pregnancy.

If you need additional information about EC, NARAL has background on
this issue. Additionally, please feel free to contact the Washington
D.C. offices of the bill's sponsors:

Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.)
Staff contact: Jean Doyle, 202-225-5061
Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.)
Staff contact: Laura Stevens, 202-225-4276
Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.)
202-224-4744

Again, please contact your representative and senators and insist
that they cosponsor and support H.R. 2527 and S. 1564, the
bipartisan Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act.


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