Advocates rally for legislation aimed at providing better care for rape victims

• The House measure sought to ensure rape kits were available in Mississippi emergency rooms. It died in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee last week.

There was outrage at the Mississippi Capitol on Monday when a group of elected officials, law enforcement officers, and advocates for sexual assault survivors gathered to urge lawmakers to revive a House bill that provides better care for rape victims.

The bill, HB 928, would have required hospitals with an emergency room to have medical personnel on duty and able to collect evidence for rape kits during each shift. No hospital, the measure reads, could turn away or refuse to treat or examine sexual assault victims. The measure also required hospitals to maintain a sufficient supply of rape kits on hand.

The measure died in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee chaired by Senator Hob Bryan (D) earlier this month, after unanimously passing the House.

State Rep. Dana McLean (R), the author of the legislation, said many of the state’s hospitals send rape victims to another facility, particularly those in rural areas such as the Delta and North Mississippi.

Rape kits are a critical piece of evidence used in the prosecution of sexual assault offenders, she said, noting that one in three women and one in six men are sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

McLean told of a rape victim who was turned away from three hospitals until being sent out-of-state to receive care. This left the victim to suffer two traumas, McLean said, the rape with her attacker still on the loose and the lack of proper medical care.

Ultimately, advocates said rape survivors go to hospitals for help, not to be turned away.

During the 20-minute press conference, speakers did express hope that Senate Bill 2211 will pass this session.

That measure aims to ensure that law enforcement agencies investigating a sexual assault informs victims of where to locate a rape kit. The four-page bill reads, “The law enforcement agency shall respond to the victim’s request as soon as possible, but no longer than seven calendar days, with either an oral or written communication, or by email, if an email address is available.”

When asked if the state’s Crime Lab will impact timely processing of rape kits, McLean said the Legislature increased the agency’s funding two years ago to aid in this effort.

Other House members present at the press conference Monday were Representatives Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes (R), Jay McKnight (R), Fred Shanks (R), Beth Luther Waldo (R), Price Wallace (R),
and Zakiya Summers (D).