Colorado Medical Society

WHEREAS, more than 300,000 women in the United States are assaulted sexually each year, and of these, more than 90,000 seek emergency medical care, and

WHEREAS, the consequences of sexual assault include severe emotional distress, physical injury, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, and

WHEREAS, the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Emergency Physicians and more than sixty other medical and health organizations have determined that counseling victims of sexual assault about the risk of pregnancy and offering emergency contraceptive pills is a safe, effective, medically appropriate and compassionate response to the trauma of sexual assault, and

WHEREAS, comprehensive medical care of sexual assault victims includes stabilization, treatment of pain and emotional distress, treatment of injuries, collection of forensic evidence, antibiotics to treat or prevent sexually transmitted infections, and counseling about pregnancy prevention, in accordance with standards for medical practice, and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that, in the absence of standardized treatment protocols, 60 percent of American women who are seek medical care after sexual assault receive no antibiotics for sexually transmitted disease prophylaxis, and half of those at risk for pregnancy do not receive prescriptions for emergency contraceptive pills, and

WHEREAS, minority and low-income patients are less likely to receive information about emergency contraception, and

WHEREAS, the Colorado Medical Society recognizes that some patients will choose not to use emergency contraceptive pills, and some physicians will choose not to prescribe them, based on moral or religious beliefs, and

WHEREAS, while physicians are permitted to decide for themselves whether to prescribe emergency contraceptive pills, victims of sexual assault who are seeking medical care also retain the right to be told about their health care options and to decide for themselves what is in their own interests, after weighing the benefits and risks and any ethical dilemmas, and

WHEREAS, health care facilities that serve the public, receive public funding and provide emergency care to victims of sexual assault assume a similar obligation to place the autonomy, health and well-being of their patients above all other interests, and

WHEREAS, pregnancy prevention after sexual assault is a medical emergency that brooks no delay, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that in order to improve the medical care provided to victims of sexual assault:

a) All physicians licensed to practice in Colorado who treat victims of sexual assault should know the indications, risks, benefits, timing and dosing of emergency contraception;

b) All licensed clinics, emergency departments and trauma centers that treat victims of sexual assault should adopt policies and procedures to optimize the care of sexual assault victims, including treatment of physical injuries, crisis intervention, collection of forensic evidence, antibiotic prophylaxis of sexual transmitted diseases and counseling about prevention of pregnancy;

c) Hospitals should assist physicians who object to use of emergency contraception to “stand aside but not stand in the way;” hospitals, emergency departments and trauma centers should adopt protocols to ensure that victims of sexual assault receive timely information about emergency contraception from another medical provider or pharmacist or through toll-free telephone numbers, Web sites or other means; and

d) The Colorado Medical Society will support legislation or regulations to ensure that hospitals, emergency departments and trauma centers that treat sexual assault victims have policies in place to ensure victims of sexual assault receive comprehensive care, including counseling about emergency contraception, in accordance with professional guidelines and standards of medical practice.

FISCAL IMPACT: None