Some hospitals violate emergency contraception law, survey says
Some Massachusetts facilities violate the year-old state law requiring hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape victims by imposing "serious restrictions" on the treatment, according to a survey by NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts .
The survey, which is due to be released today, indicated that officials at 7 percent of the hospitals with emergency rooms contend the provision for emergency contraception may be left to the doctor's discretion. Another 7 percent indicated that such provisions were contingent upon the woman undergoing a rape exam.
"These policies are problematic because they leave open the possibility that a rape survivor may not have access to [emergency contraception] at a particular hospital," said Melissa Kogut , executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, in a statement. "Women who have been raped should not have to worry about which hospital they go to."
NARAL conducted the survey of the state's 69 hospital emergency departments in February and March; a rape counselor made mock calls on behalf of a potential client to assess whether emergency contraception pills were available. The survey was designed to assess compliance with the law, which took effect in December 2005, NARAL officials said.
All nine Catholic hospitals surveyed said they offered emergency contraception "in some capacity" to rape victims, but 56 percent had serious limitations, according to the survey. The limitations include requiring a woman to undergo a rape examination and offering the contraception only at a doctor's discretion, Kogut said.
NARAL declined to release the names of hospitals that restricted access to emergency contraception, which can be used up to five days after unprotected sex to prevent, or end, pregnancy.
In a statement, Caritas Christi Health Care , the healthcare system of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, said its six hospitals in the state abide by directives from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in administering care to sexual assault victims. They will not provide contraception to someone who is pregnant, even if the woman has been assaulted, the statement suggests.
"The guidelines affirm that a female sexual assault victim should be able to protect herself against a potential conception as a result of an assault, if after appropriate testing, there is no evidence conception has already occurred," according to the statement.
