ACLU: Government won't explain silence on emergency contraception

The American Civil Liberties Union says the government is blocking efforts to learn why the first-ever Justice Department guidelines for treating rape victims do not mention emergency contraception as a way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.

"What are they trying to hide?" asked Louise Melling, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. "They're obviously hiding something here."

Melling said Wednesday there was no scientific or medical reason not to include emergency contraception in the guidelines aimed at helping the between 4,000 and 25,000 women annually who are estimated to become pregnant as a result of rape.

"It's very safe, very effective, especially if given immediately after a rape," she said. "They have made a judgment that has much more to do with politics than protecting women."

Advocacy groups maintain that nearly 90 percent of such pregnancies could be prevented if victims had prompt access to emergency contraception.

Many conservative groups contend that use of emergency contraception can be a form of abortion when fertilization has already occurred.

A Justice Department spokesman, Eric Holland, said Wednesday that the department "takes a victim-centered approach to this entire issue" and encourages medical professionals to discuss all treatment options with the person who needs care.

"It's not for the Justice Department to determine what options should be available," he said.

The guidelines were released in September 2004 with the aim of ensuring that victims receive high-quality medical and forensic services.

The 130-page document includes extensive suggestions for coping with the possibility of sexually transmitted disease, but only one sentence on pregnancy prevention: "Discuss treatment options with patients, including reproductive health services."

In August, the ACLU said it represented a broad coalition of sexual assault groups and women's health advocates when it sent a Freedom of Information Act request asking the Justice Department to provide records about formation of the guidelines.

It made the request after hearing that information about pregnancy prevention and emergency contraception was removed from the final draft of the guidelines, Melling said.

The Justice Department responded by including treatment recommendations from the American College of Emergency Physicians, several state protocols and a copy of an article on forensic evidence collection.

Melling said all of the documents discuss pregnancy prevention in detail and most provide instructions for prescribing emergency contraception or recommend that it be offered to rape victims.

"Clearly, the Justice Department reviewed documents highlighting the importance of helping sexual assault victims prevent pregnancy," Melling said. "In light of this evidence, it is troubling that the protocols remain silent on the issue and fail to protect women."

The ACLU said emergency contraception, commonly known as the "morning-after pill," reduces the risk of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent if it is taken within days of unprotected intercourse.

<< Associated Press -- 12/21/05 >>

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