Jul 06 2010
Now that’s an outrage
People who complain about uneven or poor access to abortion leave me completely cold. This is different:
A 21-year-old Ottawa woman who had been sexually assaulted was refused immediate treatment at the Ottawa Hospital over the weekend, the Sun has learned.
The woman was taken to the Civic hospital early Saturday to have a rape kit completed but Ottawa police were told there were no sexual assault nurses available.
The victim was given three options: Lie in a bed until Monday morning when a nurse would be available — but she wouldn’t be able to shower — or go to either Cornwall or Renfrew hospitals.
She ended up being taken to Renfrew to get treatment.
“This is unacceptable and it’s upsetting to hear,” said Concillia Muonde, spokeswoman for the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa.
“The message it gives to women in the community is nobody is going to do anything about it.”
[...]
Eight women are sexually assaulted every day on average but only one reports it, according to Ottawa police.
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Update: Apparently, this problem is widespread.
No related posts.
I wonder if the situation would have been different if our health system allowed for private care.
@Suzanne: Only if she could pay for it…
The crisis is not simply that there was no one availble to help her, but also that eight women are sexually assaulted in Ottawa every day. That’s close to 3,000 a year. One is too many.