VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Emergency Rooms Must Provide Emergency Contraception to Sexual Assault Survivors

Washington law requires every hospital emergency room, regardless of religious affiliation, to give sexual assault survivors who come to the ER for treatment truthful information about emergency birth control (also known as the morning-after pill) and give them the pills if they request them.  In Oregon, the State Legislature recently passed a similar bill that requires all hospital emergency rooms to offer emergency contraception to survivors of sexual assault

What is emergency contraception?   Emergency contraception is also known as “the morning-after pill” or by its brand name, Plan B.  Emergency contraception contains the same hormones used in regular birth control pills and, for more than thirty years, has been used to prevent pregnancy within a short time after intercourse.  It can prevent pregnancy if given within 72 (and possibly up to 120) hours after unprotected sexual intercourse.  The closer in time to the act of unprotected sex, the more likely the medication will work to prevent a pregnancy.

Why is it important for victims of sexual assault? Emergency contraception can act after the fact to prevent a pregnancy, so it can help a woman avoid the additional trauma of fearing a pregnancy resulting from a rape.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that treatment with emergency contraception should be standard medical care for victims of rape.

Have YOU or someone you know been refused emergency contraception in the ER in Washington or Oregon?  We want to hear your story to help make sure emergency rooms are following the law.  Contact us.

What if I live in Idaho, Alaska, or Montana?  Contact us if you were refused emergency contraception in the ER in any of those states.  We would like to talk with you, too.  We are working with other advocates for the rights of sexual assault victims and reproductive freedom in those states to ensure that those states pass laws that help.