I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 464 
To provide for the provision by hospitals receiving Federal funds through 
the Medicare Program or Medicaid Program of emergency contraceptives 
to women who are survivors of sexual assault. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 12, 2007 
Mr. ROTHMAN
(for himself, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. VAN
HOLLEN, Mrs. 
TAUSCHER, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. DICKS, 
Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. KIRK, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. STARK, Mrs. 
CHRISTENSEN, Mr. FARR, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. WEINER, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Ms. LEE, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. PAT-
RICK MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mrs. DAVIS of California, 
Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. ZOE 
LOFGREN of California, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FRANK of Mas-
sachusetts, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. 
TIERNEY, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. OLVER, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. 
DEFAZIO, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. BERMAN, 
Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. NADLER, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Ms. BALDWIN, 
Mr. CASTLE, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mrs. MALONEY 
of New York, Mr. WYNN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mrs. CAPPS, Ms. 
LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, Mr. HOLT, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SIRES, 
Ms. HARMAN, Mr. WEXLER, and Ms. MATSUI) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the provision by hospitals receiving Federal 
funds through the Medicare Program or Medicaid Pro-
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gram of emergency contraceptives to women who are 
survivors of sexual assault. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Compassionate Assist-
ance for Rape Emergencies Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) It is estimated that 25,000 to 32,000 
women become pregnant each year as a result of 
rape or incest. Timely access to emergency contra-
ception could help many of these rape survivors 
avoid the additional trauma of facing an unintended 
pregnancy. 
(2) A 1996 study of rape-related pregnancies 
(published in the American Journal of Obstetrics 
and Gynecology) found that 50 percent of the preg-
nancies described in paragraph (1) ended in abor-
tion. 
(3) Surveys have shown that many hospitals do 
not routinely provide emergency contraception to 
women seeking treatment after being sexually as-
saulted. 
(4) The risk of pregnancy after sexual assault 
has been estimated to be 4.7 percent in survivors 
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who were not protected by some form of contracep-
tion at the time of the attack. 
(5) The Food and Drug Administration has de-
clared emergency contraception to be safe and effec-
tive in preventing unintended pregnancy if taken in 
the first 72 hours of sex. 
(6) Medical research strongly indicates that the 
sooner emergency contraception is administered, the 
greater the likelihood of preventing unintended preg-
nancy. 
(7) In light of the safety and effectiveness of 
emergency contraceptive pills, both the American 
Medical Association and the American College of 
Obstetricians and Gynecologists have endorsed more 
widespread availability of such pills to women of all 
ages. 
(8) The American College of Emergency Physi-
cians and the American College of Obstetricians and 
Gynecologists agree that offering emergency contra-
ception to female patients after a sexual assault 
should be considered the standard of care. 
(9) Approximately one-third of women of repro-
ductive age remain unaware of emergency contracep-
tion. Therefore, women who have been sexually as-
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saulted are unlikely to ask for emergency contracep-
tion. 
(10) It is essential that all hospitals that pro-
vide emergency medical treatment provide emergency 
contraception as a treatment option to any woman 
who has been sexually assaulted, so that she may 
prevent an unintended pregnancy. 
SEC. 3. SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT; PROVISION BY 
HOSPITALS 
OF 
EMERGENCY 
CONTRACEP-
TIVES WITHOUT CHARGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Federal funds may not be pro-
vided to a hospital under title XVIII of the Social Security 
Act or to a State, with respect to services of a hospital, 
under title XIX of such Act, unless the hospital meets the 
conditions specified in subsection (b) in the case of— 
(1) any woman who presents at the hospital 
and states that she is a victim of sexual assault, or 
is accompanied by someone who states she is a vic-
tim of sexual assault; and 
(2) any woman who presents at the hospital 
whom hospital personnel have reason to believe is a 
victim of sexual assault. 
(b) ASSISTANCE FOR VICTIMS.—The conditions spec-
ified in this subsection regarding a hospital and a woman 
described in subsection (a) are as follows: 
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(1) The hospital promptly provides the woman 
with medically and factually accurate and unbiased 
written and oral information about emergency con-
traception, including information explaining that— 
(A) emergency contraception has been ap-
proved by the Food and Drug Administration 
as an over-the-counter medication for women 
ages 18 and over and is a safe and effective 
way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected 
intercourse or contraceptive failure if taken in 
a timely manner; 
(B) emergency contraception is more effec-
tive the sooner it is taken; and 
(C) emergency contraception does not 
cause an abortion and cannot interrupt an es-
tablished pregnancy. 
(2) The hospital promptly offers emergency 
contraception to the woman, and promptly provides 
such contraception to her at the hospital on her re-
quest. 
(3) The information provided pursuant to para-
graph (1) is in clear and concise language, is readily 
comprehensible, and meets such conditions regarding 
the provision of the information in languages other 
than English as the Secretary may establish. 
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