The trauma of sexual violence for female victims of male assault is commonly further complicated by the fear of pregnancy.  PlanB is the current emergency contraception that is available without a prescription to those over the age of seventeen. PlanB is effective for up to 72 hours (three days) to prevent pregnancy.  Emergency contraception is commonly thought of as providing aid to females who have engaged in consensual sex.  It is also important that survivors of rape have as many options as possible to choose from as they work through the layers of trauma in the aftermath of the assault.

 

Sexual assault is not sex, it is forced violence and power. The exposure to pregnancy is involuntary.  

 

On June 17, 2010, the Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA voted unanimously to approve the new emergency contraception: EllaOne.  The new emergency contraception will provide protection against unwanted pregnancy for up to five days.  The pill has already been approved in twenty-one European countries.  Equally important as the length of time that the pill covers is its effectiveness. The new contraception has a 1.8% chance of women becoming pregnant and PlanB users have a 2.6% chance.  

 

The new contraception has faced the same opposition from anti-choice interest groups as PlanB.  This is because of the fallacious argument that it is an abortion pill, similar to RU-486, that induces a non-surgical abortion.  EllaOne is a pregnancy prevention pill that does not terminate a pregnancy but prevents a female’s body from becoming pregnant, more like a daily birth control pill.  

 

The approval of this pill impacts all women in America.  Many supporting arguments for EllaOne are rooted in issues of consensual sex and needing a back-up form of birth control.  It is important to remember as the FDA reviews the pill that it does not only impact women who are sexually active with men.  As was aforementioned, sexual violence is not sex but still exposes victims to the same risks of pregnancy and STDs.  EllaOne will protect those who are violated and exposed to pregnancy against their will for a longer period of time. 

 

Rape victims are faced with numerous traumas and this emergency contraception provides another option for those who choose to protect themselves from the potential of a pregnancy after an assault.  The FDA has taken an important step forward to help survivors of sexual assault and we applaud them!