Protect Survivors of Rape Against Unwanted Pregnancy
Rape: it's a horrible thing that no woman chooses.
Yet as it stands now, when a survivor of rape enters the emergency room, she is not always given the chance to prevent pregnancy.
To address this troubling problem, members of Congress have proposed the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act (S.1264/H.R.2928).
This bill would ensure that when survivors of sexual assault enter the emergency room, they are always offered the emergency contraception pill (EC) as an option.
EC is a concentrated dose of ordinary birth-control pills that can dramatically reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant if taken soon after sex or sexual assault. It is NOT the same thing as mifepristone, or RU 486, which terminates an already-established pregnancy.
Making EC an option for all rape survivors that enter the emergency room would ensure that they have a choice in the aftermath of their assault.
Please sign the petition to ensure that rape survivors get the health-care services they need to prevent unintended pregnancy.
Ask Congress to vote YES on the CARE act.
Dear Congressperson [Last name],
This bipartisan legislation would ensure that hospital emergency rooms provide sexual-assault survivors with emergency contraception upon request. Emergency contraception (EC, often called the "morning-after" pill) is a concentrated dose of ordinary birth-control pills that can dramatically reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant if taken soon after sex or sexual assault. It is NOT the same thing as mifepristone, or RU 486, which terminates an already-established pregnancy.
EC holds tremendous potential to help women who have suffered a sexual assault avoid the additional trauma of an unintended pregnancy. Unfortunately, hospitals do not consistently offer women this effective means of pregnancy prevention. S.1264/H.R.2928 would ensure that access to EC is included in the standard of care rape survivors receive.
[Your comment here]
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
