Hospitals May Be Forced To Tell Rape Victims Of Emergency Contraception

[truthpusher]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/4123767/detail.html

Hospitals May Be Forced To Tell Rape Victims Of Emergency Contraception
Bill Failed Twice In Previous Years

POSTED: 9:45 am MST January 24, 2005
UPDATED: 5:53 pm MST January 24, 2005

DENVER -- Democratic Rep. Betty Boyd proposed a bill Monday that would require all hospitals to inform sexual assault victims of the availability of emergency contraception.

The bill had been introduced the past two years but both times the bill died in a Senate committee. Proponents are hopeful this year since there is a majority of Democrats in the Legislature, and say the bill will be beneficial to the 300,000 women who are sexually assaulted every year in America because it gives a woman the needed information to make a decision about what is best for her.

Of the 300,000 women assaulted every year, between 25,000 and 32,000 become pregnant as a result, 7NEWS reported.

(snip)

"If women get this information within 120 hours after being raped, they can prevent the additional trauma of an unintended pregnancy in addition to the trauma of the rape," said Boyd. "Rape is about a loss of control and you need to be able to give that control back to the victims so that they can move forward in their healing process."

more:http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/4123767/detail.html

[fryguy]

1. should be done now

i can't imagine anything worse than for a women to have to bring to term a child conceived by rape....

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

49. Great soundbite: REPUBLICANS = PRO-RAPIST. (nt)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

54. Yes! I mentioned this way below.

We need to be more assertive when it comes to coloring the opposition.

This needs to be mentioned ANYTIME this sort of topic comes up.

REPUBLICANS WANT TO DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF RAPISTS.

They can call us baby-killers all they want. The Republicans must be exposed --succinctly and clearly, in well-turned soundbites-- for what they are.

REPUBLICANS PROTECT RAPISTS

[markus]

81. I'm forwarding this to all my Dem legislators

We need to put the GOP squarely on the records as Pro-Rapist.


Love the screen name, btw.

[LiberalFighter]

57. Don't drs inform patients of procedures in other situations?

Why should this be an exception?

[Wapsie B]

2. Oh god forbid

we help a woman in that situation. Let her carry the seed of a rapist.

/sarcasm

[GiovanniC]

25. I Have Heard Many Republicans, Including Those in Health Care *shudder*

Say that it is impossible for a woman to get pregnant via unwanted sex.

This is the kind of mentality we're dealing with.

[peacebird]

37. Frist himself has stated no woman can get pregnant unless she's "aroused"

therefore if a woman gets pregnant from rape, she must have enjoyed it...

sick logic

[Kber]

38. This the same Frist

that couldn't confirm or deny that you could get AIDS from tears, sweat or kissing?

That man's dangerous! No wonder he favors medical malpractice limits - he must have been a terrible doctor!

[leftchick]

40. omg...

I never knew the kitten-killer said that. :wow:

[Mandate My Ass]

43. People on this board say that too

Some even claim to be scientists.

[GiovanniC]

46. That's Sick. Truly, Truly Sick.

n/t

[Mandate My Ass]

48. Tell me about it

I'd have thought this is the last place I'd read something that hateful and dumb being haughtily passed off as scientific fact. :puke:

[DemBones DemBones]

90. Since I haven't seen any

other pro-life scientists posting at DU, I guess you're talking about me.

I have never said that victims of rape cannot or do not become pregnant -- and certainly not that conception had anything to do with a woman being aroused or not.

I have said that if abortions were done only to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest, there would be a large decrease in the number of abortions performed.

Those two statements are entirely different.

If you're going to be calling me out, at least get your facts straight.

[candy331]

61. So invitro doesn't have a chance in hell to work according to that sick

rationalization.

[Indiana_Dem]

71. Say what!? That's crazy! nt

[PA Democrat]

75. There are no words to describe my disgust

with people who are so intent on blaming the victim. It's as if we are going back to the Dark Ages.

[NashVegas]

77. I Thought That Was Jesse Helms ..

..

[DemBones DemBones]

88. I think so, too, or at least it was someone other than Frist.

Frist isn't that much of an idiot.

[NashVegas]

98. I Just Vagely Recall the Comment

Having something to do with not being able to get 'feminine juices' going or something like that.

[Andromeda]

80. He really said that?

I'm shocked and disgusted at the ignorance of that statement made by somebody who calls himself a doctor.

More like witch doctor.

[neweurope]

87. That is so sick! Who is this Frist? That's making fun of rape victims.

Oh I wish guys like this would experience rape once in their life!

-------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Glenda]

3. Good. People will begint to know that fundies want to force rape victims

to have babies to double their trauma.

[AnnInLa]

51. Well hell, she must have asked for it, huh?

damned anti-women wingers

[Glenda]

55. Yes, they are so anti-woman...

have to put women in their place, don't they?

Some so-called "christians" are so uncaring and un-christian-like. It makes me very angry!

:mad:

[electropop]

4. If the righties are serious about reducing abortions

they should support this bill.

[Lisa0825]

30. The problem is that they believe that this pill IS an abortion.

One of the ways it can work is by preventing implantation, so the fundies believe that it is an abortion when it works in that way.

[LiberalFighter]

58. They should all be sterilized

[asjr]

5. A hospital should not have to be forced. It should be

standard procedure to tell the victim. I have decided I must be living in an alternate universe. Something new every day.

[Dhalgren]

6. It is a sign of the hopeless stupidity and meanness

of this society that this isn't already standard practice! Daily I grow more and more sickened by this religio-fascistic country. What kind of venal, heartless bastards would not allow a rape victim this small measure of hope and defense? ARGGGHHH! Sorry...

[Solly Mack]

8. I second that statement n/t

[VegasWolf]

67. I third that statement! n/t

[short bus president]

7. Funny how repigs are so loath to see the gubmint involved

in health care, but they don't mind at all when hospital policy is determined by some fuggin' Middle Age theo-illogical cult. This bill should've been passed the day the morning after pill was approved.

[Kber]

39. maybe the dems should

tag it into the "Women's right to know" act - otherwise known as a manditory waiting period for abortions.

Women's right to know what exactly?

[Bo]

9. I also am amazed this is not standard

practice. I forgot we have been living in Alternate reality mode since fundies came into power.....

[Chovexani]

22. Me too.

I thought this was S.O.P., but then again maybe I watch too much Law & Order.

What kind of back-asswards country are we living in? I can't wait for people from the reality-based community to be in charge again.

[Ripley]

10. 25,000 to 32,000 pregnancies due to rape huh?

Hear that all you DUers who say it is statistically zero? Frankly, that number has to be extremely low since rape itself is vastly underreported.

[arwalden]

12. WHICH DUers Have Been Saying That? --- No, wait... Never Mind...

... DO NOT answer that question!

Actually, I believe I know who you're talking about. Besides, it's against the rules to attract negative attention by calling-out a DUers by name.

-- Allen

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mandate My Ass]

44. Ooooooooh! I know! I know!

*clamps hands over mouth tightly* :evilgrin:

[VegasWolf]

68. Me too! Hand waving in air! n/t

[DemBones DemBones]

85. Well, that was subtle.

For the record, I have never said NO pregnancies ever occur from rape.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

15. Snork!

Yeah, I could take a stab in the dark myself just by visiting the Choice forums.

:eyes:

[DemBones DemBones]

93. OK, since you called me out below --

"not a Repub plus a skeleton" is hardly subtle or clever -- you'd better be able to prove that I ever said the probability of pregnancy being caused by rape was statistically zero. I know I never said that and I do not appreciate having my words twisted.

[Love Bug]

11. Catholic hospitals will fight this the hardest

I'm not nor am I inviting Catholic bashing, but contraception is inconsistent with their dogma. They will fight this.

[arwalden]

13. You're Absolutely Correct... Compassion Be Damned!

[Southpaw Bookworm]

16. Indeed

They've already fought for the right to refuse to perform hysterectomies, even where it would save a woman's life.

[FizzFuzz]

23. Jesus!!

Huh! Ironic that my immediate epithet is "jesus!", when this kind of cruelty has nothing to do with anything Jesus taught.

[LiberalFighter]

59. They have?

How can women continue to practice that faith if they are consider less than human?

[DemBones DemBones]

91. I've never heard of Catholic hospitals refusing to perform

hysterectomies, much less fighting for the right. Do you have a link for that?

[KDLarsen]

17. Sadly, they're going to do it with the wrong arguments..

.. I remember hearing about this earlier (some hospitals chose not to inform the victims), and what the emergency contraceptive does, is that it prevents the egg from attaching itself to the womb (help - I have no idea of what the english therm here is!). Hence, no cells are created & no fetus will ever exist.

[Lisa0825]

33. Not true.

It can work in two ways that I know of (maybe others I am not familiar with).

1) If ovulation has not yet occurred, it prevents ovulation. No egg, no conception.

2) If ovulation HAS occurred, it prevents implantation. (http://www.reproductiverights.org/pub_bp_icpdec2.html)At this point, it *could* be preventing a fertilized egg from implanting, and cell division is taking place during the time it takes to travel down the fallopian tube to the uterus. (http://www.givf.com/blastocyst.cfm) So, in the mind of fundamentalists, this is an abortion. They have the same probalem with the IUD.

[mutus_frutex]

42. They will definitely fight..

Personally, I think catholic hospitals should be allowed to keep their beliefs, but they should be decertified, as well as any doctor that practices in them.

If they want to practice faith-based medicine they should pay the price.

[DemBones DemBones]

86. Catholics also oppose abortion, which is what

preventing implantation by "emergency contraception" really is.

If Catholic hospitals are forced to provide contraceptives or abortions, what has happened to separation of church and state?

[Solon]

89. Public health and welfare trumps Religious Freedom...

its called the lemon test, the same reason Christian Scientists get charged for child endangerment if they refuse medical treatment for their children.

[put out]

96. Here's an idea. Separate Catholic hospitals from state money.

Problem solved. No state money, no tax cuts, no Medicaid nor Medicare and no government money at all, not one thin dime. Nothing for research, nothing for nursing nor medical schools, no breaks in the form of grants for students or scientists. Nothing.

The Catholic hospital folks might not like it too much, but they will be free to practice maltreatment as they see fit.

[Danmel]

18. What happened to the Hippocratic oath?

How could it NOT be standard procedure to provide that information to a rape victim? Who is the patient here- the woman or some possible conceptus forced upon her against her will? Unbelievable.

[FizzFuzz]

19. For Humanity's sake, pass this bill!

the Bush admin wants to further its fascistic goals--remember one of the 14 points of Fascism is rampant sexism

Force raped women to bear the child?????? MONSTERS!!


<snip> http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/nation/10532811.htm
Guidelines for treating rape victims omit emergency contraception

BY MARIE MCCULLOUGH

Knight Ridder Newspapers


PHILADELPHIA - (KRT) - The U.S. Department of Justice has issued its first-ever medical guidelines for treating sexual assault victims - without any mention of emergency contraception, the standard precaution against pregnancy after rape.

The omission of the so-called morning-after pill has frustrated and angered victims' advocates and medical professionals who have long worked to improve victims' care.

......
"I think it's very smart not to put that in the guidelines," said Dr. George Isajiw, a board member of Physicians for Life, a Philadelphia anti-abortion group.

By giving emergency contraception, he said, "you're giving a dangerous drug that's not doing any good, or else you're causing an abortion. As a moral principle, a woman has the right to defend herself against an aggressor. But she doesn't have the right to kill the baby." Fizz's editorial comment: Where the hell did this guy get his MD? I'm just an interested layperson, and even I know that emergency contraception prevents an egg from being released or from being fertilized, or in some cases, from implanting after fertilization. What, did this guy go to the same school that the "miscarriages must be reported to police within 12 hours"-guy went to? Make menstruation illegal, dude. :mad: OK, back to the snips::::

Anne Liske, executive director of the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault said the decision should be left to the woman. "The victim needs to be in charge of decisions about her care."

New York State - which mandates that hospitals, regardless of religious affiliation, provide the contraception to rape victims - recently fined a Coney Island hospital $46,000 for not giving it correctly and mishandling forensic evidence needed for prosecution.

"We've just started to get successful lawsuits" against hospitals that don't provide emergency contraception, said Ledray in Minneapolis. "I'm afraid such lawsuits will fail if the national protocol doesn't treat emergency contraception as the standard of care."
<end snip>

[Sivafae]

32. Isn't not having the child an act of protection from her aggressor?

Especially in states that give the rapist parental rights.

[FizzFuzz]

82. common sense would say so, yeah. But these zealots care little for living

breathing women, it seems.

We are incubators.

Hey welcome to DU by the way. :)

[David__77]

20. If they can't do their job, they need to step aside.

This is a matter of public health. Why license institutions that won't defend the public health?

[DemBones DemBones]

94. Where will patients go when the hospitals close? nt

[choicevoice]

21. As the mother of a rape victim

you might want to check in your area to see if there is a rape crisis center that is notified when a victim of rape shows up at a hospital. When my daughter went to the hospital a lovely woman from the rape crisis center came to see if she could be of assistance. Part of her "help" consisted of informing the victim of the availability of emergency contraception.

I agree that it should be standard procedure. Why not make the people against this explain to the public why they think their daughters should be forced to carry to term a pregnancy that is the result of rape.

Another little point of interest: Did you know that the rapist has parental rights? Imagine having to carry a pregnancy to term and then having to SHARE parental rights with your rapist.

[kypper]

24. WTF?!

What case upheld that right?
Does the incarceration/guilt of the rapist deny him those rights?

[choicevoice]

29. you mght want to check what your state has on the law books for this

Some states have addressed this and some have not. Unless the rapist's parental rights are automatically terminated by law or by order of the court the rapist has parental rights. Do a google search for rapist and parental rights and you just might want to puke.

[LiberalFighter]

60. Your right...

in all probability

it requires it going to court to establish that the father should not have any parental rights.

Most likely difficult to do especially in places where judges say no to divorce if the woman is pregnant.

[FizzFuzz]

26. speechless here

thank goodness for Rape crisis centers, otherwise, where would women be?

I'm grateful your daughter has a mom who is obviously level headed and a protective support, like a mom is supposed to be. NOt that they all are, which is why it's so important that there be agencies and Centers to give help and fend off the insanity.

"Another little point of interest: Did you know that the rapist has parental rights? Imagine having to carry a pregnancy to term and then having to SHARE parental rights with your rapist."

WHAT????????????
It's when I see things like this that I am tempted to disregard my feminine passivity and become a vigilante. I'll make some use of smirky's dropping of the assault weapons ban, I'll tell you what.

[choicevoice]

31. After the rape of my daughter I threw passivity out the window

and became a radical pro choice activist who defended clinics throughout the south during the religious right summer sieges on womens clinics.

The rape happened many years ago now and my daughter came through it beautifully. As horrifying as it was she was raised to understand that rape is a crime of violence and has nothing to do with sex or her sexuality or other men. She was also taught that at no time and in no way was it her fault.

Until you have been through this process and understand the additional hardships a rape victim has to go through you can't fully appreciate what a screwed up process it is. From the procedure in the hospital (rape kit, etc) to having to "convince" the police that she was actually raped, to finding out that rape isn't an important enough crime for them to process a DNA test because its too expensive. I am still enraged every time I think about this.

[arikara]

27. How appalling

next thing you know the rapist will be waiting at the hospital to make sure that the victim doesn't take the morning after pill.

I'm really sorry for your daughter, I hope that she's on the road to recovery.

[DebinTx]

35. Also, a rape victim cannot force her attacker to be tested for AIDS

as usual, the victim is treated like sh*t.

[wicket]

73. oh my god I am so sorry :(

:hug:

[truebrit71]

28. Why isn't this S.O.P. now?

Fucking fundies and their "morals" and "values".....:mad:

[mtnester]

34. Seriously, there is no valid argument to not tell a rape citcim of this

that does not represent a hatred of women...not one..are you listening hospitals? NOT ONE...

And any hospital that refuses to do so can speak with the rape victim here in Columbus OH that faced her rapist in court yesterday, while he jeered at her, and pleaded with the judge to make his sentence longer, since he was the one that broke in to her home and raped her, and THEN, a week later, secretly stalked her again and caught her in the street outside her home as she was returning from work and RAPED HER AGAIN. And the rapist only laughed in court.

And hospitals, you want to deny this woman what now?

[rocktivity]

36. "Faith-based definition"--good one, Ms. Boyd!

Opponents say it's another form of abortion.

...Philip Hendricks, with the Right to Life group...said the bill distorts the truth about pregnancy, not explaining that it occurs at fertilization.

"The attempt is to redefine pregnancy to when the embryo is implanted into the mother's womb and that is just factually incorrect," Hendricks said.

"Colorado law codifies a medical definition, not a faith-based definition. Certainly people of faith disagree on that definition," Boyd said.

Good for you, Ms. Boyd--THAT'S hitting them where they live! Factually incorrect, my :kick: -- CONCEPTION is what takes place at fertilization! The actual pregnancy doesn't begin until the fertilized egg starts dividing. It can take up to five days, huh?

One other thing--let's drop the use of the word "faith-based" and call it for what it is: "enforced right-wing Christianity."

:headbang:
rockantion

[Tyrone Slothrop]

41. New Talking Point -

Republicans are Pro-Rapist

[Dhalgren]

45. Why do Republicans hate women?

[superconnected]

47. very accurate question.

I remember the 80's when they fought making wife beating illegal.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

52. And in the 1990s

When they fought for abusers in the military and police to be allowed to keep their firearms.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

53. Fear

That's why most people hate something. They fear it.

Republicans fear that if women have equal/more power than they do, they will lose everything they hold dear. The cronyism, the nepotism, the wild Koslowski-esque orgies, the power.

And, to be honest, their fear is pretty well founded. I think that if more women were in power, the sort of activities described above would have to be radically diminished. (Not that I am condoning the fear/hate. It's just well-founded.)

[VegasWolf]

69. Simple, Religion. Post-pagan religion has never cared to empower

women. Look at the Catholic Church, women were not even
allowed on the altar. Look at the Mormons, the Calvinists,
the greek Orthodox. Women are slowly making some inroads
in a few religions, but religion is a man's sport.

[DemBones DemBones]

95. What did pre-pagan religion do to empower women? nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

50. I SWEAR I didn't see your post before I posted #49! (nt)

[wicket]

56. Be sure to vote in the poll at the story - it's being freeped!!!!

:kick:

[Damien]

62. it's worded that way

Notice the use of word "forced" rather than "required." Here in colorado, a lot of people (including a lot of media) are very conservative.

[Triana]

63. Great News!

Republicans == Pro-Rapist - I can agree with that. Pro-forced pregnancy, too...

This should have been law years ago.

[chomskysright]

64. [e-mail]: I think this is right

[Sgent]

65. Nowhere

In the article did it say that it wasn't SOP for hospitals.

I have been involved as a professional in rape/trauma in multiple hospitals throughout the southeast, and have never heard about it not being offered except for Catholic hospitals.

Seems like the legislature is trying to get press.

[VegasWolf]

70. In many areas of the west, Catholic hospitals are the only ones

around for miles.

[pfitz59]

72. Everett WA -Providence (Catholic) Hospital

Primary Emergency Services for 100,000+ people DOES NOT offer the "morning after" pill to rape victims. Not in keeping with their screwed-up definition of compassion!

[davis_islander]

66. I'm sorry, but I'm confused as hell...

Would they rather she have an abortion later?

[kalibex]

74. ROTFL...

No, they'd rather she not have an abortion at all.

Even when raped.

[ZR2]

76. Does anyone know of any woman

that doesn't already know about the "morning after" pill ?

[MountainLaurel]

83. let's see

Women who:

* Who were raised in fundamentalist Christian homes who were given no information about sexual issues, including how their own bodies function.

* Are recent immigrants who can't read or speak English.

* Are poor and disenfranchised, and too busy trying to support their families to watch the CNN Health Report or read the newspaper.

* The illiterate.

Not to mention the fact that rape victims are likely to be in shock, and probably unlikely to be thinking about a medical report they watched on CBS News 3 years ago.

[Solon]

92. Not to mention access to it...

That pill will have to be taken in a very short time frame to be effective, the sooner the better(from within 24 to 72 hours I think). So that just adds to the pressure, and it should be relieved by easing the amount of time and energy the victim should to expend to research or find it.

[Democrats_win]

78. Its moot. Won't CO Guv Owens (R) veto it?

[truthpusher]

84. Owens is an a-hole.

:o

[proudbluestater]

79. I should think that would be the LEAST they could do for these victims

[Strabo]

97. wait a minute....

I call shenanigans!

We all know that pregnancy resulting from a rape is about as common as snowfall in Hawaii, so why should we bother offering free abortions to rape victims?


/sarcasm