The Women's Center

After an assault...

• What happens at the hospital?
• What if I am pregnant?
• What about HIV and STIs ?
• Will they draw blood?
• What if I don't have insurance or I don't want my insurance to be billed?
• What if I don't want my parents to know?
• What about evidence collection?
• What the police do at the hospital?
• Will the rapist be arrested?
• I'm afraid he'll try to get back at me if I talk to the police.

What happens at the hospital?
What happens with your health care is completely up to you. But even though it might be hard to do, it is very important to seek medical treatment after a sexual assault to protect your health.

• For women, seeing a doctor after an assault will feel similar to an annual visit to the gynecologist. The doctor will treat any injuries you have and give you antibiotics to prevent infection.
• For men, the doctors will check for injuries and provide appropriate treatment. Men, too, need to protect their health by obtaining medical assistance immediately after an attack.
• All emergency rooms must provide treatment for all survivors of sexual assault, both women and men.
• When you go to the ER, the hospital should call an advocate from Rape Crisis Services. The advocate is there to answer any questions you have, and help you make informed decisions about your healthcare and reporting to the police. She is also there to hold your hand if you're scared or to be a caring shoulder to cry on.
• You may also want to watch your health carefully over the next few months. Stress can cause illnesses, and often injuries or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) don't show up right away.

What if I am pregnant?
Within 120 hours of an assault (or any unprotected intercourse), a doctor can prescribe Emergency Contraception (EC). EC is a controlled dose of birth control pills that will prevent an egg from attaching to the uterine wall.

• Only a doctor can prescribe it. It is not safe to try this with your own birth control pills!
• It is not an abortion. It simply changes the environment of your uterus so that you will not become pregnant. However, it is important to take EC as soon as possible.

If 120 hours have passed since the assault, it may be necessary to wait about two weeks and then take a pregnancy test. If you are pregnant, there are options available to you, and an advocate can help you explore those options.

What about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections?
It may feel like the rapist took everything from you, but you *do* have a voice, and you can make decisions about the future. Finding out about sexually transmitted infections is one way to get that control back.

• Some people think getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV can be frightening or embarrassing. But it is important for your health to know if you need additional medical care.
• Testing for STIs should not be done at the ER, because it will not accurately portray your infection status resulting from the assault; it will show any STIs contracted before the assault.
• Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, and many STIs and HIV are caused by viruses that aren’t affected by antibiotics.
• It is important to follow up with your doctor or the health department for continued testing and treatment following your emergency room visit.

Will they draw blood?
Although the hospital will want to draw blood, you have the right to refuse any part of treatment. Blood tests will check for pregnancy and disease, and help the doctor figure out how to best treat you. Having your blood drawn might hurt a little and can be frightening, but it is important for your treatment as well as prosecution of the rapist.

What if I don't have insurance or I don't want my insurance to be billed?
You do not have to pay for the exam or evidence collection kit (click here for the evidence collection kit). What happened to you is not your fault, so it is not your financial responsibility. Illinois has a program set up through the departments of Public Aid and Public Health to cover emergency medical services for sexual assault survivors.

This program, set up through The Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act (SASETA):

• outlines what services the emergency must provide to you for your medical needs;
• will cover your visit to the emergency room if you do not have insurance;
• may also cover bills if, for whatever reason, you don't want your (or your family’s) insurance company to find out. The only provision is that you must go to an emergency room. The emergency room staff are not allowed to say whether or not you were assaulted; they must provide services to you just because you need them.
• does not cover visits to a private physician's office, or to a school’s student health services;
• will pay for the initial visit to the ER, and another follow-up visit six weeks later;
• also pays for any prescriptions if you obtain them in the ER;
• provides that you will get a private waiting room and an advocate or counselor;

If you have problems with billing, an advocate can help you figure it out and help you talk with the insurance companies and SASETA.

What if I don't want my parents to know?
You decide whom to tell and when. Your advocate will support your decision and will never tell anyone about the assault. If you are a college student, your school insurance will most likely cover the cost of the medical exam and the evidence collection kit-your parents' insurance will not be billed. Your advocate can help you work with your school insurance to ensure your privacy is protected.

What about evidence collection?
The rapist took power and control away from you temporarily, but the hospital and investigating police officer will not do that to you. They will respect the many choices you can make during your medical exam and the evidence collection. Your advocate is there to help you through this process in any way you'd like her to.

What the police do at the hospital?
Their role is to investigate the crime against you and collect evidence properly to aid prosecution of the perpetrator.

• The investigating officer will ask you for the clothes you had on during or after you were attacked. They may contain valuable evidence that can lead them to the perpetrator. But don't worry your advocate will see that you have clothing to wear after your emergency room visit.
• The police will also take photographs of any bruises or scratches you might have. Often, rape victims don't have other additional injuries; if you don't, they will still investigate the crime committed against you.

The evidence collection kit
An option you have is to complete an ''evidence collection kit.'' Here is some information about the evidence kit:

• Its purpose is to gather as much evidence as possible about the crime committed against you.
• The medical staff will take some samples of your hair and other physical evidence, and any evidence the perpetrator may have left.
• The collection kit should be completed within the first few days after the assault.
• The collection kit is done only at the emergency room.
• If you want to complete the evidence collection kit, it's a good idea to not shower or take a bath, brush your teeth, or douche until after you see the doctor. Even though a shower may help you feel better, try to wait until after the evidence is collected.
• Completing the kit does not mean that you have to press charges. It just means that the State's Attorney has a better case if a suspect is apprehended and the case goes to trial.
• You can choose how much or how little of the kit to complete, or whether to do it at all. If you think you *might* want to press charges against the person who hurt you, the kit is essential to the process of prosecuting him or her.

Do I have to talk to the police?
No. You only have to talk to the police if you want to. If you go to the emergency room for medical care, they are required to call the police, but you are not required to talk to them.

• Your advocate can talk with you about what it's like to report to the police, what they will ask, and what will happen next.
• The first time you meet with the police, they will ask basic questions about the attack so they can start an investigation.
• A detective will talk with you at some point, and ask more detailed questions. Some questions may be uncomfortable or seem too personal, but it is important for the police to know all the details of the assault.
• You can choose to start or stop the investigation at any time. It might not feel like it sometimes but you have total control over the investigation.
• If you are under 18 years old, and the person who hurt you was a parent, teacher, or someone taking care of you, other adults (like advocates and nurses) who know the details of what happened are required to report it to the authorities. If you don't give your name or the perpetrator's name, it will not be reported.
• If you are a teenager who was sexually assaulted by a date, friend, or someone NOT in a caretaker position, or if you are an adult, nobody can make you report to the police or start an investigation. You get to make that decision for yourself.

Will the rapist be arrested?
Hopefully, yes he or she will. However, it might take a while. For most sexual assault cases, the perpetrator is not arrested until the investigation is complete and the State’s Attorney has reviewed the case. This is frustrating, but waiting until the investigation is complete makes a stronger case in the end. Reporting the crime as soon as possible and completing an evidence collection kit will give the police more evidence, and increase the likelihood that he or she will be arrested.

I'm afraid he'll try to get back at me if I talk to the police.
That is a totally normal and valid fear. It is important to share that fear with the police so that they can assist you and protect you. If you are afraid for your safety, talk to an advocate, your friends, family, neighbors, or coworkers about safety planning.

To access any of the above services, please call the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-334-2094, or 618-529-2324.

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