State rape victim care bill set for vote
by Amie Jo Schaenzer ¦ Fond du Lac Reporter ¦ 12 December 2007 Should doctors be required to provide rape victims with information and pills that would prevent a potential pregnancy? This is the question being put to the test this week when the State Assembly votes on the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill. Its passage would require all hospitals in Wisconsin to "inform a victim of sex assault of the availability of emergency contraception and provide it upon request," said Tom Powell, media and communications specialist for the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault. The Assembly is scheduled to vote on the bill today, Powell said. Emergency contraception, most often referred to as Plan B or the morning after pill, is comprised of a high dose of birth control pills and can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of intercourse. American Medical Association guidelines require victims of sex assault be provided information on emergency contraception — more commonly known as the morning-after pill and viewed by some as a form of abortion. Yet, only one-third of emergency rooms in Wisconsin follow such guidelines, according to a WCASA press release. "In Wisconsin, it's not so much about moral objections. It's been more of a case of, many times, plain ignorance of them (doctors) not thinking about it or not knowing about emergency contraception," he said. Here in Fond du Lac, Catholic-affiliated St. Agnes Hospital offers information on emergency contraception and will provide rape victims with the emergency contraception "if the sexual assault has occurred within the past 72 hours and there is no existing pregnancy," said Shelly Haberman, Agnesian HealthCare senior public relations associate. St. Agnes Hospital strives to adhere to Catholic principles while still being compassionate when providing care for victims of sexual assault, Haberman said. "Women who turn to us for medical care who have been sexually assaulted are cared for with their health and safety as the top priority," Haberman said. "Keeping with the moral principles of the Catholic church, we believe that a woman who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault. If after appropriate testing, there is no evidence that conception occurred prior to the assault, she may be treated with medications that would assist in the prevention of pregnancy." Powell said he believes that it's important for doctors to inform sex assault victims about the option of emergency contraception. "They are not in the state of mind to be thinking about the things that might be medically available," he said. "The intention is that the sex assault victims, when they are the most vulnerable and the most hurting, will be provided with all that medical science has to offer." The Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill "coasted through the State Senate" in May with an "overwhelming bipartisan vote of 27-6" and was expected to be voted on in the Assembly late Tuesday or early today, Powell said. If it passes, Gov. Jim Doyle has committed to signing the bill, he said. A similar bill has been introduced in the past but did not make it far, Powell said. The Wisconsin Catholic Conference and Wisconsin Right for Life have not expressed opposition to the bill, which has gained support from Republicans as well as Democrats, he said. "It crosses the borders," he said. "Obviously for us, the emphasis is on sex assault victims. It is a real issue; it's by no means imaginary."
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