After the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade verdict and banned abortion in the country, Republican leaders have justified that exceptions for rape or incest victims aren’t needed because emergency contraceptives can be used instead.
Advocates for rape survivors have pointed out that getting access to these emergency measures in the short time frame in which they would be effective may not be realistic for someone who has just been assaulted and medical professionals have confirmed that they are not always foolproof.
Following the failure of birth control, emergency contraceptives are used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex.
The two most commonly used contraceptives used in the United States, including levonorgestrel and ulipristal acetate, prevent ovulation.
This is different from an abortion pill which ends a pregnancy after a fertilised egg has been implanted in the lining of a woman’s uterus.
According to medical experts, the effectiveness of “morning after pills” depends on how soon they are taken after unprotected sex.
It is noteworthy that the pills are unlikely to help if a woman has ovulated prior to intercourse and sperms can live inside a woman’s body for up to five days.
A copper intrauterine device, which is the most effective method of emergency contraception, needs to be inserted into a woman’s uterus within five days of unprotected sex.
According to Jude Foster, advocacy medical forensic and prevention programs director for the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, most rape victims don’t report the crime to law enforcement.
Highlighting the faults in the ”one size fits all” approach, she says women face financial as well as transportation problems.
Making no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma all have laws that ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy.
If they are used before a pregnancy can be determined, in that case, Arkansas’ and Kentucky’s laws explicitly say they don’t prohibit contraceptive measures.
(With inputs from agencies)
Watch WION’s live TV here:
