[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF BEST HELP FOR RAPE VICTIMS ACT

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce an important piece of 
legislation that will help rape victims across the country avoid 
unwanted pregnancy, the Best Help for Rape Victims Act.
  Recently, the Department of Justice has issued its first-ever medical 
guidelines for treating sexual-assault victims, the National Protocol 
for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination. While otherwise a 
thorough step-by-step medical treatment guide, the Justice Department 
omitted any mention of the option of Emergency Contraception, ignoring 
a crucial opportunity to provide vital and time-sensitive healthcare to 
victims of rape and sexual assault.
  Of the 300,000 women who are sexually assaulted each year, an 
estimated 25,000 will become pregnant as a result. If Emergency 
Contraception was regularly offered to rape victims, its 89 percent 
success rate could avert up to 22,000 unplanned pregnancies every 
year--many of which may ultimately be terminated in abortion.
  The Best Help for Rape Victims Act would address this problem by 
simply requiring the Department of Justice to include language in the 
Protocol stating that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of 
pregnancy be offered information about Emergency Contraception, and if 
requested, provide Emergency Contraception to the victim on site.
  The vast majority of Americans believe we should be doing everything 
we can to help rape victims recover from sexual attacks, not 
withholding important health information from them, and certainly not 
making fathers out of rapists. Unfortunately, since the Justice 
Department apparently has a different set of values, we must pass the 
``Best Help for Rape Victims Act'' to protect the health and rights of 
victims of sexual assault by ensuring that they receive all available 
information and the best medical care available.




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