NARAL Pro-Choice America Applauds Commonsense Bill to Improve Health Care for Rape Survivors

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, applauded the reintroduction of the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act – a bill that would ensure that sexual-assault survivors are offered emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms.   Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) reintroduced the bill yesterday; Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ) also recently reintroduced his companion bill in the House.

“This commonsense legislation affirms that members of Congress hear voters’ call for policies that empower women and protect their privacy, instead of the divisive attacks that defined previous Congresses,” Keenan said.  “Sen. Clinton and Rep. Rothman have once again demonstrated their steadfast leadership by authoring this thoughtful legislation.” 

The CARE Act would ensure that survivors of sexual assault are offered emergency contraception (EC) in the emergency room.  Each year, approximately 25,000 women in the United States become pregnant as a result of rape.  Many of these pregnancies could be prevented if sexual assault victims had timely access to EC.  Polls show that nearly 80 percent of American women want hospitals – religious-affiliated or not – to offer EC to rape survivors.

Emergency contraception 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.  EC does not cause abortion; rather it is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy and was recently approved for over-the-counter sales for adults. 

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032