CASE STUDY-INCIDENT IN OREM
This is an actual case history, occurring in Orem, Utah, four years ago.
A thirty-seven year old woman, whom we'll call Deb, was date raped by a man she had been out with twice. The morning after the rape, Deb called her General Practitioner and told the receptionist/nurse what had happened, requesting emergency contraception. The receptionist replied, "We don't do that kind of medicine; you'll have to go to your OB-GYN." The receptionist/nurse at the OB-GYN office told Deb that they didn't give out "morning after pills," and if she were raped, she would have to go to the Emergency Room at the local hospital for help. Deb then called the ER, and the receptionist there told her that they did have such medication, but in order for them to give it to her, Deb would have to file a criminal complaint and go through a police investigation. Deb had experience with the misogyny inherent in our legal system, and did not choose to go on trial for having been raped. So Deb called the Women's Health Center, where she was told that they only functioned as a reference and support system, and didn't actually administer medication, but if she wanted to talk about it, they would be glad to listen. . . .Finally, Deb called Planned Parenthood and was immediately admitted. After being instructed about the emergency contraception, the person who treated Deb then suggest that she take a wide spectrum antibiotic which would cover venereal diseases caused by bacteria. (Obviously, there is no medication which can prevent viral infections.)
The next week Deb was at her GP's office for her son's school physical (preventive medicine), and asked to speak privately with the doctor. Deb told him of her experience and how frustrated and disappointed she was with the "dis-graceful" manner in which his office handled the situation. He replied, "We have to be very careful; what we're really talking about here is a moral issue." To which Deb thought, "Of course it's a moral issue—I was raped and no one would help me!" But, before she would say anything, he went on, "if I had seen you, I would have counseled you differently. We, at this office, don't believe in giving abortion pills." Deb then explained to the doctor that the medication she took was not an "abortion pill." The medication she took alters the lining of the uterus so that if an egg is fertilized, it cannot implant: consequently, calling it an abortion pill is a misnomer as there is never anything to abort. To that the doctor replied that he wasn't going to argue, and essentially dismissed Deb from the office.
Deb had been divorced twelve years, and had two graduate degrees, which is to say that she had a certain amount of experience and knowledge. She knew the medical treatment that she needed, and was determined to do what was necessary to see that she received such treatment. But being refused at four different medical services was very intimidating, especially at a time in which Deb was so vulnerable, suffering from great pain, shame, and confusion. It is likely that if she were in her teens, or even in her early twenties, she would have been so intimidated by the response she received from the medical offices that she wouldn't have continue her search for help.
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