(As Amended by Senate Amendment Schedule "A")

"AN ACT CONCERNING COMPASSIONATE CARE FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT. "

Strike everything after the enacting clause and substitute the following in lieu thereof:

"Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2007) (a) As used in this section:

(1) "Emergency contraception" means one or more prescription drugs used separately or in combination administered to or self-administered by a patient to prevent pregnancy, within a medically recommended amount of time after sexual intercourse and provided for that purpose, in accordance with professional standards of practice, and determined to be safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

(2) "Emergency treatment" means any medical examination or treatment provided in a licensed health care facility to a victim of sexual assault following an alleged sexual assault.

(3) "Medically and factually accurate and objective" means verified or supported by the weight of research conducted in compliance with accepted scientific methods and published in peer-reviewed journals, where applicable.

(4) "Victim of sexual assault" means any female person who alleges or is alleged to have suffered an injury as a result of a sexual offense.

(5) "Sexual offense" means a violation of subsection (a) of section 53a-70 of the general statutes, section 53a-70a or 53a-70b of the general statutes, subsection (a) of section 53a-71 of the general statutes, section 53a-72a or 53a-72b of the general statutes, subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 53a-86 of the general statutes, subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 53a-87 of the general statutes or section 53a-90a, 53a-196a or 53a-196b of the general statutes.

(6) "Independent provider" means a physician licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes, a physician assistant licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes, an advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse licensed under chapter 378 of the general statutes, or a nurse-midwife licensed under chapter 377 of the general statutes, all of whom are trained to conduct a forensic exam in accordance with the state of Connecticut Technical Guidelines for Health Care Response to Victims of Sexual Assault, published by the Commission on the Standardization of the Collection of Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations pursuant to section 19a-112a of the general statutes, or a state certified rape crisis counselor.

(b) The standard of care for each licensed health care facility that provides emergency treatment to a victim of sexual assault shall include promptly:

(1) Providing each victim of sexual assault with medically and factually accurate and objective information relating to emergency contraception;

(2) Informing such victim of sexual assault of the availability of emergency contraception, its use and efficacy;

(3) Insuring availability of emergency contraception within the health care facility for a victim of sexual assault;

(4) Providing emergency contraception to such victim of sexual assault upon the request of such victim in accordance with established protocol of the health care facility. The dispensing of emergency contraception shall include any additional doses required by the manufacturer. Any health care facility that denies a victim emergency contraception based upon medically defined reasons or its religious tenets, which are consistent with such health care facility's protocol, shall immediately inform the victim of the reason for such denial, and immediately contact an independent provider; and

(5) Providing an independent provider with immediate, unfettered, and private access to the patient for purposes of administering counseling and other appropriate rape crisis services to said patient and, upon the request of the independent provider, make available emergency contraception.

(c) In order to comply with the standard of care requirements prescribed in subsection (b) of this section, a licensed health care facility may contract with, or make immediately available, one or more independent providers to: (1) Ensure compliance at the facility with the standard of care requirements prescribed in said subsection (b), and (2) conduct at the facility a forensic exam of the sexual assault victim in accordance with the state of Connecticut Technical Guidelines for Health Care Response to Victims of Sexual Assault, published by the Commission on the Standardization of the Collection of Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations pursuant to section 19a-112a of the general statutes. "