Immediate Help
Your Rights at the Hospital and in Emergency Treatment *
You have the right to refuse any part of the hospital treatment. No examination can proceed without your explicit permission. You also have the right to information about the treatment and the right to ask any questions you want during treatment. Also, if you are not able to pay, you have the right to free emergency medical treatment following your assault.
All of the items below are your rights, but you also have the right to choose to waive any or all of them.
You have the right to:
- Request a friend, family member, or rape crisis advocate to accompany you through everything at the hospital
- Request removal of all unauthorized people including police from your examination room
- Confidentiality regarding the results of all medical tests
General Treatment:
You have the right to:
- A physical examination
- Evaluation, and, if necessary, emergency treatment for sexually transmitted infections, HIV, pregnancy
- Referral to a physician for any longer term care
- Instructions regarding a possible follow-up appointment
- Appropriate counseling to provide emotional support, confidentiality
- Explanations of all treatments and related questioning
- Referrals
- Information on evidence collection
- Decide whether or not to release the results of these examinations for evidence
The Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit (Rape Kit):
You have the right to:
- Request the Hospital to use a complete rape kit to collect evidence after the sexual assault
- Refuse the Rape Kit
- Stop use of the Rape Kit at any time while you are in the Hospital
- Decide whether or not to release the results of your rape kit to the police for evidence
Emergency Contraception:
All female sexual assault survivors have the right to:
- Medically and factually accurate information about emergency contraception, including information about risks associated with different types
- A description of how and when emergency contraception may be provided
Cost:
You have the right to:
- Free emergency services from a hospital or ambulance provider (if you do not have health insurance).
* For more information, check out the Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act, a recent law in Illinois designed to guarantee the rights of sexual assault survivors when they first arrive at the hospital.
