Significance of Emergency Contraception I

Sexual assault is a violation to human rights and integrity. Most victims of sexual assault or violence are women. According to the Latin American Emergency Contraception Consortium in 2004, it was estimated that between 40% and 60% of all sexual abuse cases in the world occur to girls 16 years old and younger. This problem not only encompasses human rights issues but gender issues as well. Sexual assault victims are put at risk for physical and emotional problems. One of the possible long term effects of sexual assault for women is the possibility of pregnancy. Emergency contraception technology is efficient and safe at impeding undesired pregnancy before occurring. Although emergency contraception is part of the Department of Health’s protocol, this is not enough to ensure that women receive it within the necessary time period of five days. The emergency contraception pill must be accessible through emergency facilities and dispensed by well-informed providers in order to be used effectively and correctly. The rate of unintended pregnancy among young women is much higher in the United States than in other developed countries. One explanation for this difference is that emergency contraception is rarely prescribed in the United States (Grossman & Grossman, 1994). Even if emergency contraception is part of the sexual assault protocol, that is not enough to ensure that the victims are getting the pills. In a study conducted to describe the frequency of emergency contraception prescriptions in the United States and Puerto Rico, the researchers Grossman & Grossman found that 90% of the respondents (which included obstetrician-gynecologists, nurse practitioners, family practitioners, physician assistants, and nurse-midwives) never or rarely spoke to their patients about emergency contraception.

Grossman, R. A., & Grossman, B. D. (1994). How frequently is emergency contraception prescribed? Family Planning Perspectives, 26, 270-271.

Consorcio Latinoamericano de Anticoncepción de Emergencia. (2005). Promoción y defensa de la anticoncepción de emergencia en América latina y el Caribe. [Brochure]. Santiago, Chile: Consorcio Latinoamericano de Anticoncepción de Emergencia.

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