Minnesota NARAL Introduces Legislation to Protect Rape Survivors
Saint Paul, Minnesota—-As pro-choice organizations prepare to fight against several initiatives to restrict a woman's right to choose in Minnesota, they are also pushing legislation that would proactively lessen the need for abortion. This week, a tri-partisan group of pro-choice legislators, led by Minnesota NARAL, introduced the "Emergency Care for Sexual Assault Victims Act of 2003" (S.F.270/H.F.322), that would require hospital emergency rooms to make emergency contraception available to survivors of sexual assault. Emergency contraception (EC), commonly known as the "morning-after" pill, can act to prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. EC is up to 89% effective. Two separate surveys by the Minnesota NARAL Foundation found that Minnesota emergency rooms only make EC available to victims of sexual assault about 50% of the time. "While abortion opponents are fighting to limit a woman's constitutional right to legal and safe abortion, the pro-choice movement is acting to limit the need for abortion and ensure that victims of sexual assault receive the standard of care they deserve," said Tim Stanley, executive director of Minnesota NARAL. To support their efforts, the Minnesota NARAL Foundation has unveiled a website (www.ECminnesota.org) that is collecting signatures from people across the state who share a broad range of opinions on abortion. According to a report published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, over 32,000 women in the U.S. become pregnant as a result of rape. Approximately 50% of these pregnancies end in abortion. Most women do not know enough about EC to ask for it, especially after enduring the trauma of a sexual assault. Only 11% have heard of it, are aware of its availability, and know that treatment must be initiated within 72 hours according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. "I reach out to the opponents of legal abortion and ask them to support this common sense initiative," said Stanley. "If abortion opponents really care about reducing the abortion rate and ensuring women’s health, they will support victims of sexual assault being treated fairly by having access to emergency contraception when they need it the most." Minnesota NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) is an affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America and is the largest grassroots pro-choice group in Minnesota. Contact: Tim Stanley - 651-602-7655 ###
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