Topeka — Medical facilities that provide care to rape victims would be required to give information about the availability of emergency contraception under a bill considered Tuesday by legislators.
Amber Versola, with the Kansas City metro chapter of the National Organization for Women, said providing information about emergency contraception would prevent the additional trauma to rape victims of a possible pregnancy.
Versola, a rape victim herself 14 years ago when she was 16, said that during her examination, nurses warned her about the possibility of having contracted a sexually transmitted disease but not about pregnancy. She said it was her mother who asked if there was anything to take to avoid pregnancy.
“She was given a prescription for a form of emergency contraception,” Versola told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “If it weren’t for this, I probably wouldn’t have realized that EC existed,” she said.
Emergency contraception can prevent pregnancy if used in a timely manner.
State Rep. Sean Gatewood, D-Topeka, said he believed Senate Bill 91 “was a common ground provision that we can all agree on to potentially prevent unwanted pregnancies.” NOW representatives said approximately 5 percent of rape victims become pregnant as a result of their attack. Sixteen states currently have laws that provide information about emergency contraception as part of the sexual assault examination process, NOW state coordinator Kari Ann Rinker said.
The committee took no action on the bill. No one spoke in opposition to the measure. State Sen. Tim Owens, R-Overland Park, said he hadn’t decided when the committee would work on the bill.
State Sen. Les Donovan, R-Wichita, asked if the victim, after she has explained to her the availability of emergency contraception, has the choice to take it or not. Gatewood said the victim wouldn’t be required to take emergency contraception. “This doesn’t require anyone to do anything but provide information,” he said.
Supporters of the bill said it would give victims of sexual assault critical information during an emotional time.
“These women were not able to control their rapists’ actions, but they need to know that to some extent they can control what happens to their body almost immediately after,” Versola said.
Comments
kusp8 1 year, 10 months ago
Seems completely reasonable.
Hooligan_016 1 year, 10 months ago
Agreed. The only people that can oppose this are the ideological hardliners.
Liberty275 1 year, 10 months ago
What female in America over 14 needs to be told you can take a pill and abort the rapist's parasite? Are women that uninformed about their "health care"?
mom_of_three 1 year, 10 months ago
Now, do I really have to remind you about the trauma of a rape, that a woman may not be thinking about emergency contraception and it couldn't hurt to remind them of it. And yes, some people may not be aware of it at the time, and they need it before its too late.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 1 year, 10 months ago
There are probably a lot of women who've had it drummed into their heads that emergency contraception is "baby killing," and therefore may not ask for it unless they are reminded of its availability.
Getaroom 1 year, 10 months ago
You clearly have no idea what you are speaking of. Can you really be that ignorant about this subject and issue? It appears so.
Cait McKnelly 1 year, 10 months ago
I dunno, are you a misogynist?
Joe Hyde 1 year, 10 months ago
A commonsense bill that helps protect women after the worst has happened. I hope it gets enacted.
deec 1 year, 10 months ago
Absolutely a good law...so it probably won't pass. On another front, California's Prop 8 has been overturned.
Hooligan_016 1 year, 10 months ago
I enjoy seeing a bit of rationality in the world from time to time.
jafs 1 year, 10 months ago
Well, we'll see.
It seems to me that there's a very convincing argument that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, and not in line with established precedent, in the form of Loving v. Virginia.
jafs 1 year, 10 months ago
That's called "deflection".
And, I think he's wrong on this one. As I do with other of his positions.
He's also not my "favorite" president.
Do you have any thoughtful response to the argument?
Jean Robart 1 year, 10 months ago
seems like a no-brainer to me.
Lisa52 1 year, 10 months ago
Liberty275:
Your comments are offensive. The 'parasite' as you name it, otherwise known in basic biology from conception is a tiny human being, and if indeed conceived through rape, has become the second victim of the rapist. The next 'rape' and 'violation' of the raped woman is the violence of abortion. Women who have kept / given up for adoption the babies who had been conceived through rape have reported a greater healing than those who have aborted. In fact, the latter DO experience a sense of violation yet again during the abortion. BTW, for others who are interested, EC also acts as an early abortificiant, whether after fertilisation otherwise known as conception (which biologically / scientifically speaking is the beginning of a new human being, or shortly after implantation. Don't believe me, look it up. I hope that's something that will also be included with the 'information' about EC, if the Bill is passed.
vocal 1 year, 10 months ago
Your comments are offensive. You take away the right of a woman to stop a process that will retraumatize her. If YOUR choice is to carry a child of a rapist (and I hope that you NEVER have to experience that) then that's YOUR choice. But don't take away the choice of other women who may not see it your way. A woman's body must be her own, governed by her alone; otherwise she becomes less than a citizen, a slave. Civil law makes her body NOT your property. As for treatment after rape? The fertilized egg is NOT a human being in my book...so, that's just your opinion, not a statement of fact. Pass the law. Protect women.
Jean Robart 1 year, 10 months ago
very well said vocal. You are right on the money.
Cait McKnelly 1 year, 10 months ago
Hey if you want to peprtuate the genes of a violent predator, go for it. Me? I'll pass.
werekoala 1 year, 10 months ago
While I agree, "parasite" is a loaded term to describe a fetus....
... You do realize that half of all fertilized eggs are naturally aborted, right? They either fail to implant, stop dividing, express pathologic genes, at attacked by the mother's immune system, etc...
I guess I find it hard to believe that God can be that upset by zygotes failing to implant, when He designed a system whereby half of them die that way naturally. Especially since its.not like these pills are 100% effective.
Seems to me there's plenty of room for him to work miracles (nothing fancy with burning bushes, just random chance). The fact that he doesn't: and that more than being passive, he actually designed.the system to work that way, makes me think He's not nearly as concerned as those who claim to speak for him.
cowboy 1 year, 10 months ago
Its high time for the republicans to dis-invite themselves from the doctors offices of America. If we need any "counseling" from you we'll call 1-800-Pray away the Stupid.
Cait McKnelly 1 year, 10 months ago
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/06/kansas-anti-abortion-bill_n_1258185.html And we still haven't heard anything out of the statehouse reporting about this "little" violation of civil rights.
Cait McKnelly 1 year, 10 months ago
"Among the most contested provisions of the bill is the section that would exempt a doctor from a medical malpractice suit if a woman claims the physician withheld information about potential birth defects to prevent her from having an abortion. In addition, a woman would not be able to sue if she suffers health damage from a pregnancy as a result of information withheld from her to prevent an abortion. A wrongful death suit could still be filed, however, if the mother died." But ONLY if the mother dies. If she suffers a stroke from eclampsia and is disabled for life; oh well. Oh and let's not tell her the fetus has no brain and will die within minutes of birth.
reverber 1 year, 10 months ago
It is a shame that legislation is needed to compel health care providers to do what they should be doing as a matter of course.
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