Fully inform rape and incest victims, congresswoman urges

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Some women’s advocates urged Congress Thursday to pass a bill that would require hospitals receiving federal funds to ensure that sexual assault victims are told about emergency contraception.

"It is estimated that 25,000 women become pregnant each year as a result of rape or incest," said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Connie Morella, R-Md. "With access to emergency contraception, women have a safe opportunity to prevent an unwanted pregnancy."

Too often, hospitals do not provide victims with information on emergency contraception, Morella said. "Women in such desperate situations should have access to all options," she said.

The contraception, known as the morning-after pill, is a high dose of birth control pills taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy.

It differs from the abortion pill, RU-486, which is for women who already know they are pregnant and want a nonsurgical abortion.

"Sexual assault survivors should not have to face the additional trauma of an unwanted pregnancy," said Gloria Feldt, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc. "Emergency contraception in the ER is compassionate common sense."

The Rev. Michael Place, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, said in a statement that the Catholic health ministry "is committed to providing personal support and quality medical care for any woman who is a victim of sexual assault."

Still, Place said, "It would seem that the real purpose of this proposed legislation is to pursue the narrow agenda of the pro-abortion lobby."