Push for Equal Access of Plan B for Native American Women

Native American Women’s
Health Education Resource Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 12,
2012 – In a new report released today, The Native American
Women’s Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC) in Lake Andes, South
Dakota, once again calls upon the Indian Health Service to provide equal
access to safe, emergency contraception in the form of Plan B, especially
for survivors of sexual assault. The report also requests the I.H.S. to
immediately enforce the application of Standardized Sexual Assault Policies
for all hospitals and clinics in its purview and to work with Tribal
Nations to understand and implement standardized emergency room services
for all Native American women.

This latest report
from NAWHERC titled, “Indigenous Women’s Dialogue – Roundtable Report
on the Accessibility of Plan B as an Over the Counter (OTC) Within Indian
Health Service” makes a strong case for examining the human rights
violations demonstrated in the substandard care given to Native American
women, especially victims of sexual assault. “The potential for Native
American women to need reproductive choice or emergency contraception (EC)
because of a violent incident statistically far exceeds that of the general
population. Native Americans are raped at a rate nearly double that of
rapes reported by all races annually – 34.1%, more than 1 in 3, Native
American women will be raped in their lifetime. Three-fourths of Native
American women have experienced some type of sexual assault in their lives[1].”
Although, Plan B is available over the counter to all women seventeen years
and older, Native American women are not provided access to Plan B over the
counter by their primary health care provider- the Indian Health Service.
Native American women are being discriminated against due to their race,
which is a violation of basic human rights.

In light of these
appalling statistics, NAWHERC gathered over fifty women during the summer
and fall of 2011 to listen to the voices of advocates, workers and victims
in the health care and support systems for Native American women. The
report explores and illustrates the inequities, even within one service
unit area, where a few service units provide EC, but most do not; two
provide Plan B, but the others still utilize an old formula of several high
dose birth control pills, which can be dangerous for women.

As the report
states, “Human Rights are created and adopted to be applicable across
the board, but we continue to hear Native American women’s stories of
restrictive and inconsistent policies, un-funded health care needs,
difficulty in accessing preventive and emergency services – whether the
institutions are ran by the Indian Health Service, a treaty tribe or non
treaty tribe, a PL 638 situation, or a “self-governed” tribe. The
complexities of sovereignty and the collision of the Indian Health Services
with Tribal Nations provision of some or part of those services is a
labyrinth too hard to navigate, especially during a crises such as assault,
violence and fear.”

Roundtable
participants have responded to the report with statements such as, “I
can’t tell you how moved I was by the report. My hat is off to everyone
involved. It is a great report- compelling, truthful, and informative.
Thank you again for letting our voices be heard.” The full report will
be available for download and distribution at http://www.nativeshop.org/images/pdf/Plan-B-Report.pdf.

Contact:
Charon Asetoyer
(605)
487-7072

(605)
491-1566 – Cell

charon@charles-mix.com

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