Soler Urges Administration Not to Implement ‘Conscience Regulations’
News Release Contact: Lisa Lederer
September 29, 2008 202/371-1999
Soler Urges Administration Not to Implement ‘Conscience Regulations’
“Regulations Could Harm Victims of Violence and Coercion”
Washington, D.C. - The following are comments filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler on September 25, 2008 about the proposed “provider conscience regulations.” Soler’s comments address the ways these regulations could harm victims of violence and coercion, and urge the Department not to implement them:
“Dear Secretary Leavitt:
The Family Violence Prevention Fund is one of the nation’s leading violence prevention agencies, with nearly 30 years of experience working to stop domestic, dating and sexual violence and help victims. We are gravely concerned about the impact of these regulations on victims of violence and coercion, who often struggle mightily to get the health care they need. For these women, the kinds of obstacles these regulations could create might well put urgently needed health care out-of-reach.
Violence and coercion are much more prevalent than many people realize. Research conducted for the Family Violence Prevention Fund by Child Trends found that 18 percent of women age 18 to 24 reported having experienced forced sexual intercourse at least once in their lives. (Child Trends used data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth for the analysis, basing estimates of forced sexual intercourse on a sample of 1,833 females aged 18 to 24.)
These women are at risk for unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, miscarriage, infertility, coerced abortion, and a range of other serious health issues. Some suffer miscarriages when they want to carry their pregnancies to term. Others become mothers before they are ready. Still others lose their fertility and never have that experience.
What these women have in common is that they need access to the full range of reproductive health care services in order to avoid harmful outcomes. Accessing those services can be difficult. Some have partners who sabotage their birth control, deny them transportation, withhold money (even their own earnings) so they cannot make co-payments, threaten or stalk them, or in other ways keep them isolated, hurt and afraid.
When these women do get to a health care provider, they need access to quality care, as well as intervention to stop the abuse in their lives. Any delays or obstacles can be devastating.
We are deeply concerned that these regulations would pose a serious threat to the health of women in abusive relationships. I urge you not to implement them. Thank you for considering these comments.
Esta Soler, President
Family Violence Prevention Fund”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,200 deaths and two million injuries to women from intimate partner violence each year. Nearly one in four women reports experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or boyfriend sometime in her life.
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The Family Violence Prevention Fund works to end violence against women and children around the world, because every person has the right to live free of violence. More information is available at www.endabuse.org.
I think he just wanted to get me pregnant for some reason, so that I don’t mess with nobody else or anything… It’s basically… a way of saying I’m already taken."
