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MISSING: Rape Victim’s Information and Access to Emergency Contraceptives
UPDATE:
On August 30, 2005, reproductive health groups and the ACLU asked the Department of Justice to release documents in order to explain why the Department’s guidelines do not advise hospitals treating sexual assault victims to inform them about emergency contraception.
UPDATE:
On June 16, 2005, Senators Clinton and Boxer (among others) introduced the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act (CARE) in Congress. The bill would require hospitals to provide sexual assault survivors emergency contraceptives (in the case of women) and post-exposure prophylaxis for sexually transmitted disease (in the case of all individuals).
January 19, 2005
In September 2004, the Department of Justice (DOJ) published its first-ever guidelines for the treatment of sexual assault survivors, the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination. The guidelines, however, leave out any reference to Emergency Contraception (EC). Congresswoman Maloney (D-NY), along with 96 other members of congress wrote to the DOJ on January 13, 2005 to protest this move, calling for references to EC to be included:
“Women who have been sexually assaulted have a
compelling need for quick access to EC. To be effective,
EC must be administered within 72-120 hours of unprotected
intercourse, but experts agree that it is more effective the
sooner it is taken—making timely access to EC critical.”
To read the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Report on this issue
CLICK HERE
To learn more about EC, or to order EC online from Planned Parenthood affiliates, visit Planned Parenthood’s website
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