Emergency contraception

Emergency contraception. (a) The General Assembly finds: (1) Crimes of sexual assault and sexual abuse cause significant physical, emotional, and psychological trauma to the victims. This trauma is compounded by a victim's fear of becoming pregnant and bearing a child as a result of the sexual assault. (2) Each year over 32,000 women become pregnant in the United States as the result of rape and approximately 50% of these pregnancies end in abortion. (3) As approved for use by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), emergency contraception can significantly reduce the risk of pregnancy if taken within 72 hours after the sexual assault. (4) By providing emergency contraception to rape victims in a timely manner, the trauma of rape can be significantly reduced. (b) Every hospital or approved pediatric health care facility providing services to sexual assault survivors in accordance with a plan approved under Section 2 must develop a protocol that ensures that each survivor of acute sexual assault will receive medically and factually accurate and written and oral information about emergency contraception; the indications and contraindications and risks associated with the use of emergency contraception; and a description of how and when victims may be provided emergency contraception at no cost upon the written order of a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or a licensed physician assistant. The Department shall approve the protocol if it finds that the implementation of the protocol would provide sufficient protection for survivors of acute sexual assault. The hospital or approved pediatric health care facility shall implement the protocol upon approval by the Department. The Department shall adopt rules and regulations establishing one or more safe harbor protocols and setting minimum acceptable protocol standards that hospitals may develop and implement. The Department shall approve any protocol that meets those standards. The Department may provide a sample acceptable protocol upon request. (c) This Section is effective on and after January 1, 2024. (Source: P.A. 104-386, eff. 1-1-26.)