In depressing rape-related news*, this is what happens when state legislatures allow doctors to weasel out of doing their goddamn jobs, via conscience clauses:

Imagine being the victim of a sexual assault, or a parent who learns their daughter was sexually assaulted. You arrive at a hospital, looking for assistance — someone to do a physical exam, tests, collect evidence, offer emergency contraception so the rape isn't compounded by pregnancy.

Imagine being turned away.

This is what happened to a young woman who arrived at Integris Canadian Valley Hospital with her mother. There, the doctor that met with her told her that the hospital was unable to examine her or provide emergency contraception due to a lack of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE). The specially trained nurses are rotated from hospital to hospital, and there were none at the hospital that the victim chose.

Hospital spokes-people argued that the doctor made the right call, and that SANE nurses were specially trained to collect and preserve evidence without "re-traumatizing" the victim. However, the real question is whether the doctor behaved ethically when she refused to provide emergency contraception, which is much more effective the sooner it is taken after unprotected sexual intercourse.

As the article points out, there's no sane case for a doctor refusing treatment and emergency contraception to a rape victim. And how is forcing a woman to stagger from hospital to hospital in search of a doctor or nurse who believes in doing their goddamn jobs and providing basic, judgment-free medical care (again, to RAPE VICTIMS) not "re-traumatizing"?

Sad hat tip to Cynthia.

*And yes, in case you're wondering, I am the life of every party.