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Legislature advances bill to codify access to emergency contraception for sexual‑assault survivors
Summary
Bill 24‑38 COR would require health care facilities to inform sexual‑assault survivors about emergency contraception and make it available upon request; sponsor and health‑care witnesses said the measure codifies existing clinical practice and is not an abortion policy.
Senators placed Bill 24‑38 COR, which would codify the right of sexual‑assault survivors to be informed about and offered emergency contraception, on the third‑reading calendar after floor discussion and committee markup.
Sponsor Senator Parkinson said the bill does not create new medical procedures but protects and standardizes existing clinical practice. “This is not an abortion drug,” Parkinson said on the floor, adding the bill defines emergency contraception as FDA‑approved medication that prevents pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation or fertilization and noted over‑the‑counter options such as levonorgestrel (Plan B).
Committee testimony from medical and victim‑services organizations — including the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, Guam Memorial Hospital and Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center — supported the bill. Floor debate focused on technical clarifications: whether the statutory language should explicitly reference over‑the‑counter options and whether the Healing Hearts Crisis Center (the territory’s sexual‑assault crisis center) should be named in statutory lists of agencies that will prepare survivor information. Floor amendments added the Healing Hearts Crisis Center in three places and the sponsor and committee agreed changes proposed at the hearing were incorporated during markup.
The bill requires emergency‑care facilities to orally inform survivors about emergency contraception options and supply it upon request or refer to the named crisis center. Supporters framed the measure as a survivor‑centered, nonpolitical standard of care intended to remove ambiguity and prevent retraumatization caused by delay or denial of time‑sensitive treatment.
The chair of the health committee and the sponsor said the bill was amended to reflect practice and to incorporate public‑hearing recommendations. The floor ordered the bill to third reading without objection; it will return for final recorded vote and any technical drafting amendments.
