Sexually assaulted women now have another place to turn to ensure that pregnancy is not something they have to worry about.

On Wednesday, New York Gov. George E. Pataki signed the Emergency Contraceptive for Rape Victims Bill, which requires all hospitals to provide emergency contraceptives and counseling to surviving rape victims.

‘Before the bill was passed, it was like a Russian roulette wheel for rape victims,’ said Susan Pedo of Family Planning Advocates. ‘Some hospitals would provide the medicine and counseling; others wouldn’t.’

With the new law in place, all hospitals will be prepared to give rape victims medication immediately after the incident.

‘In the past, hospitals would give a prescription to patients to go and get the contraceptive from a local pharmacy,’ said Betty DeFazio, the external affairs director at Planned Parenthood of the Syracuse and Rochester regions. ‘Some pharmacies didn’t have the medication available immediately, and some weren’t open 24 hours.’

Emergency contraceptives are able to prevent pregnancies up to five days after intercourse, but the earlier the medication is taken, the better, Defazio said.

Although hospitals were not required to have emergency contraceptives and counseling available, many already did, Pedo said. It was not until now, however, that all hospitals were required to provide the medication.

The Syracuse University Health Center and most other medical centers in the area were some of the hospitals that had emergency contraceptives available before the law came about, said Janet Epstein, sexual assault response coordinator at the Rape Advocacy, Prevention and Education Center.

‘We provide emergency contraceptives to any student that requests them,’ Epstein said. ‘It does not only apply to rape victims either. It could be for any student who had unprotected sex.’

The Health Center charges $20 to $25 for emergency contraceptives.

The new law could help increase the number of women who get help after they have been raped and might cause an increase in the number of women who report rapes.

‘I think more women will seek assistance if they are aware that there are options,’ Epstein said.

Epstein said that once the medication is given, a doctor could ask some precautionary questions, and the woman would be able to report all that had happened.

‘The women will be provided with reassurance that, should they be a victim of rape, they will be able to get comprehensive care,’ DeFazio said.

The bill was a work in progress for several years. The New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault had been working for a number of years to pass a bill that would help sexually assaulted victims get comprehensive care, she said.

‘We have been pleased by the legislative support that the bill received,’ DeFazio said.

New York is the first Eastern state to incorporate this type of law. DeFazio said she hoped it would lead to even more states passing similar bills.

Published on October 2, 2003 at 12:00 pm