News & Politics - Rape victim jailed after reporting attack

Lexis · 01-30-2007, 12:17 PM

Quote:

TAMPA - A young woman was walking back to her car after the Gasparilla parade on Saturday when she says a man dragged her behind a building and raped her near the intersection of Howard and Swann.

She managed to get away and called 911. Police took her to the hospital and began a routine rape investigation.

When they started checking the victim's background, they discovered she had an arrest warrant out for her.

It was from an arrest when the woman was a juvenile and she was accused of not paying restitution. The woman says she was not aware there was a warrant out for her, and her attorney says it appears to be a paperwork error.

"They were more interested in prosecuting her for something that's a paperwork snafu from four years ago, that was juvenile. They were more interested in working on that than finding an experienced rapist," stated the victim's mother.

Still, the woman was put in handcuffs and taken to jail. She was not allowed bond, and the medical staff at the jail refused to give her the Morning After Pill even though it had been prescribed at the hospital.

"The medical supervisor would not allow her to take the pill because she said it was against her, the supervisor's, religion. So, here we have a medical supervisor imposing her beliefs on a rape victim," claimed the victim's attorney Virlyn Moore. "As a human being, how someone could be so violated by this monster and then the system comes along and rapes her again psychologically and emotionally - it's outrageous and unconscionable."

"At this point, we're very concerned about the welfare of this young woman," said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. "There's a lot of unanswered questions about exactly how this unfolded we are going to get to the bottom of it."

McElroy says there is a policy in place where anyone who is suspected of a misdemeanor is not taken to jail if they're the victim of a sex crime.

She says while it's nearly impossible to draw up a policy that addresses every situation, this may be a case where department policy should be reexamined.

"The system as a whole, that is so broken, it needs to be completely fixed, so broken, so broken that something like this could happen, something like this should never have happened," said the victim's mother.

The victim did manage to finally bond out of jail Monday afternoon. She was too emotionally distraught to speak with the media, and FOX 13 does not identify the victims of sexual assault.

MyFox Tampa Bay | Rape victim jailed after reporting attack

I couldn't quite get my head around the fact that this happened in America. Seriously. Doctors who don't want to prescribe medication should not be doctors.

TokyoNiGHTS · 01-30-2007, 12:36 PM

Why haven't there been laws put in place so things like this don't happen? You shouldn't be able to prevent someones prescription just because your religion opposes such actions.

nopal · 01-30-2007, 02:23 PM

I hope the victim sues the crap out of that supervisor. If the supervisor can't do her job because of her religious beliefs then she needs to find another, more suitable, profession. That poor woman. For a rape victim to be treated like this is utterly disgusting.

migamoo · 01-30-2007, 03:41 PM

Ok, I can understand to an extent, her going to jail. But if that's all they are going to do and not find the rapist, I'd sue. As for the doctor in the jail not giving a prescribe medication because she claimed is against her religion, is absurd! A doctor takes an oath to do no harm which she went against in this case. The pill was prescribed and the patient wanted it. She's doing harm to that patient by not allowing her to have it. Again, I would be suing.

rose parade · 01-30-2007, 04:35 PM

That's just absurd!

I don't even get this, though. I've heard that if you are raped that the church itself will give you the morning after pill...

migamoo · 01-30-2007, 04:39 PM

I think some it boils down to some people do not know how the Morning After pill works. People think it's an abortion when all it really does is act both to prevent ovulation or fertilisation and possibly post-fertilisation implantation of a blastocyst (embryo). ECPs are distinct from medical abortion methods that act after implantation. (Via Wikipedia) Those are two different things.

TokyoNiGHTS · 01-30-2007, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prayforandrew (View Post)

That's just absurd!

I don't even get this, though. I've heard that if you are raped that the church itself will give you the morning after pill...

There's been numerous stories like this lately. Where women are raped or just have sex and come in for the morning after pill and are turned away because it goes against the doctors religion. You know what you're getting into when you take on such a profession if you can't handle your duties then its probably not the job for you.

jalapeno_wildchild · 01-30-2007, 04:50 PM

interesting artcle

elisheva · 01-30-2007, 06:01 PM

This is terrible - first they detain her when she's trying to report an incredibly tarumatic experience, then another person who's supposedly there to help her denies her help.

The morning after pill should be available to any woman who needs it. Here, you can get it at CLSCs (local health clinics) and possibly even over the counter at a pharmacy. It's not an abortion, it's a high dose of birth control pill. Refusing it to anyone based on personal beliefs is just ridiculous - a pharmacy is not the same as a private store, and a hospital certainly isn't. You don't get to choose what services you provide, the government does.

Erin · 02-02-2007, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elisheva (View Post)

Here, you can get it at CLSCs (local health clinics) and possibly even over the counter at a pharmacy. It's not an abortion, it's a high dose of birth control pill. Refusing it to anyone based on personal beliefs is just ridiculous - a pharmacy is not the same as a private store, and a hospital certainly isn't. You don't get to choose what services you provide, the government does.

Yeah, in the state I live you can buy Plan B over the counter now. It's still behind the counter in the pharmacy, but you don't need a prescription. We stock it at my pharmacy. And yeah, it needs to be taken within 72 hours after.

lizzie2000 · 02-03-2007, 12:41 AM

I believe that anywhere in the United States it is legal to buy Plan B over the counter. I understand why she was arrested and taken to jail she did have an outstanding warrent, however, the medical staff at the jail has to honor what the hospital prescribed to her. No matter what a person's religious beliefs are they are never suppose to or should get in the way of someone doing their job or affect their job. This woman definately will have a great lawsuit if she wanted and i would advise her to sue.

Indian Summer · 02-03-2007, 01:18 AM

It's definitely a tragedy, but I don't know if I'd advise her to sue. That's a very expensive process, and you have to remember she's a rape victim. She's been through a lot recently, and I think what this woman really needs is to curl up on her couch with a good book and supportive family members, and maybe a few sessions with a therapist, lol. Trials are always stressful and costly. In my mind, if this results in a trial, it should be the state of Florida v. the jail/medical supervisor. In other words, it shouldn't be on this woman's dime, you know?

I'm not very knowledgable on arresting proceducres, so I was wondering if anyone here knew about them. I was under the impression that you're held in a holding cell at first as opposed to actually put in the jail, but that might just be a local thing. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things; I'm just trying to figure out how this could've happened.

lizzie2000 · 02-03-2007, 01:47 AM

If you are sent to jail, not prison you are put in a holding cell while everything gets processed and then after that put into an actual cell. It can go quickly or take awhile depending on all the paper work and stuff

Indian Summer · 02-03-2007, 01:53 AM

Hmm. The article mentions "jail," but not really in specific terms & the media's used the two interchangeably in the past. I'd think being a major city there'd be more cases and things would go slower, but I guess that isn't necessarily true. Regardless, it's a travesty this could happen. I'd much prefer for the girl's psychological health that she can move past it and put it behind her because she obviously has enough to deal with. However, I do think the state needs to look into this so it can't happen again in the future and the jail gets fined or something. I just don't necessarily think what's sure to be a lengthy trial is in the best interests of the rape victim, you know?

*Ledi* · 02-03-2007, 09:51 AM

I have no words for this.


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