Ideas for Action: Emergency Contraception for Rape Survivors

Demand that hospitals and medical facilities make emergency contraception available to rape survivors. Hold policy makers and political leaders accountable if they refuse to join you in this effort!

Many hospitals refuse to inform rape survivors about the availability of a pregnancy prevention treatment known as emergency contraception and even fewer provide EC on the spot as an optional medical treatment. Based on a 2005 American Civil Liberties Union study of eleven states, less than 40 percent of surveyed hospitals provided immediate access to emergency contraception for rape survivors. This gives a new meaning to the phrase "cruel and unusual treatment," and NOW finds this unconscionable.

An estimated 32,000 unintended pregnancies occur as a result of rape or incest in the U.S each year. Half of these rape or incest survivors have abortions and half give birth to children sired by a rapist. We can prevent almost all of these abortions and unwanted pregnancies with emergency contraception administered within 12-72 hours of the violent crime, but only if it is 100% available in hospitals and emergency medical centers across this nation. Hospitals that refuse to provide emergency contraception border on medical negligence, and only add to the contempt shown to rape survivors.

What can local and state organizations and activists do to ensure that emergency contraception is widely available?

• Endorse H.R.819 and S.21, The Prevention First Act, and encourage your anti-violence coalition partners and members of Congress to do the same.
  
• Insist that your senators and representatives cosponsor this bill. Thank them publicly if they do and make a fuss if they won't.

• Identify the hospitals and medical centers in your community that provide rape survivors with emergency contraception.
  • Encourage victims to seek medical help at these facilities.
  • Publicly praise these facilities and encourage rape survivors to seek medical help at these facilities.
    
• Identify the hospitals and medical centers in your community that only provide prescriptions for emergency contraception.
  • Warn survivors under 18 that if they go to these facilities, they may need to hunt down a pharmacy.

• Identify pharmacies, especially those near hospitals and those that stay open 24 hours, and publish a list to be posted at rape crisis centers or on hotlines
  
• Identify the hospitals and medical centers in your community that do not provide emergency contraception.
  • Post that list wherever you can and do not refer rape or sexual assault victims to them.
  • Post the hospitals' names, addresses, telephone numbers and a big "DO NOT ENTER" sign wherever girls and women who need health care after rape and sexual assault will see them.
  • Form a committee and visit the hospitals and ask them to rethink their policy on emergency contraception for rape survivors.
  • Write letters to the editor, medical and school personnel, and to anyone else who could help you influence changing this policy and ask them to join you in encouraging the hospital to provide this medical treatment to rape survivors.
  • If all this fails, hold a press conference in front of the emergency room talking about the hospital's failure to help rape victims with pregnancy prevention, and ask supportive doctors to stop using the hospital.

• Work to pass and enforce state and federal legislation.
  As of February 2007, only seven states (California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina and Washington) require emergency rooms to distribute emergency contraception at the request of a rape survivor or sexual assault patient (learn more). A federal bill would require hospitals in every state to inform rape survivors about emergency contraception as part of the treatment regimen or risk losing federal funds. Every member of Congress who opposes violence against girls and women and who supports helping survivors of sexual assault MUST be a sponsor.

• Form a group of "anti-violence voters" and invite everyone to join.
• Use this as an opportunity to register voters, especially at shelters, rape crisis centers and victim's services locations.
• Make an informal list of politicians and candidates who have really worked to stop violence, not just given lip service. Make another list of those who will not join you in focusing real attention on this issue.
• Join the groups working to make emergency contraception available "over the counter" without a prescription. Although this will not automatically guarantee the availability of emergency contraception for rape survivors in all hospitals and medical centers, it will be an important step.