And the Hits Just Keep Coming…
Boy…this has been a great week for setting women back half a century, hasn’t it? Well, the following will either have you seething or perhaps cheering, depending on where you stand.
˚˚˚˚˚˚˚˚
Last weekend, in Tampa, while walking home from the popular pirate-themed Gasparilla Festival parade, a 21 yr old University of South Florida student was grabbed off the sidewalk, dragged behind a building and raped.
When the young woman contacted authorities, officers took her to a rape crisis center where she was given the first of two doses of the morning-after pill. The second dose is supposed to be taken within 24 hours. (to clarify… these are essentially double doses of birth control pills that are used to prevent egg implantation in the uterus, not the controversial RU486 abortion pill)
Later the police asked her to show them where the rape occurred. While driving in the police cruiser, police were notified that the victim had an outstanding warrant involving failure to pay restitution for a crime she committed as a juvenile (the victim’s mother has stated that the warrant was due to a clerical error). Right then and there, the rape investigation was completely stopped and the victim was taken to jail.
As if being raped and then jailed were not bad enough, while in police custody, she was also denied a second necessary dose of emergency contraception by a nurse who allegedly stated it was against her religious beliefs. The police refused to release the victim and she remained jailed until her attorney contacted the media.
After her story was broadcast across the country, the Tampa Police department helped her get before a judge so she could be released on bail. My, how very generous of them. The Tampa Police Dept. is in the process of revising it’s protocol for dealing with crime victims with outstanding warrants. Too little, too late, assholes.
I’m disgusted. This young woman was victimized not once but twice and then to add insult to injury, now she stands a chance of being pregnant by her attacker because someone insisted that their personal religious views should supersede their job description. You know what I have to say to that nurse?
When YOU get raped, YOU don’t have to take the emergency contraception! Keep your personal beliefs off of other people’s bodies and do your job!
Naturally, the police and the nurse are disputing the victim’s claim but she stands by her allegation. Of course they’re disputing it. They’re facing a potential lawsuit. Personally, I’ve heard enough horror stories about the TPD that I believe her. I hope the nurse gets fired and I hope the girl sues the pants off of all of them.
Read the news story here.
PS: If you use Internet Explorer and can’t see my right sidebar, would you please let me know either in the comments or via email? They don’t make any version of IE that will run on my computer so I can’t see it for myself. Thanks in advance.
PPS: If you can see my sidebar then you may have noticed the button for the “Share the Love” blog awards. My blog was nominated in the “Woman Power - Best Representative of Women” category for which I am thrilled. Since I frequently write in support of women and girls, I don’t feel tacky asking you to consider casting a vote for IzzyMom. If you want to. And you think I’m worthy. And if you do, just go here and find that category to cast your vote. Thank you :)
Sidebar looks good. I’m viewing in Firefox though.
I’m sure you heard about the pregnant woman who was recently pulled over by the police for having some sort of illegal tags on her car. She kept telling them that she was bleeding from a miscarriage and that she needed to get to the hospital. They kept ignoring her requests and blew them off as a line of excuses she was making up. She was jailed and miscarried the next day. She is now suing them.
This is horrendous! The nurse should definitely lose her job over this one!
Kinda makes you just lose all faith in the system, doesn’t it?
i can see your sidebar.
and dur.. dont’ you know that rape isn’t important if you have an outstanding warrant.
jesus. this is a depressing week, you’re right. i don’t think i can bring myself to even read the story.
Holy crap. I hope she sues the pants off of all of them.
And I can see your right sidebar fine with ie7.
Side bar looks good in Firefox 2.0, but I’m sure you knew that. BTW - you got my vote in the Share the Love Blog Awards. I’m nominated, too, but thankfully in a different category than you are.
I had occasion to have to take the “morning after” pill, and the pharmacist gave my husband such a hard time about it, all but accusing us of being irresponsible and not understanding why we needed to have a drug that he morally opposed. Believe me when I say that my husband was NOT polite in his response to this man. The circumstances under which I needed this drug was not the pharmacist’s concern; his obligation was to dispense the drug for which he had received a legally obtained prescription. PERIOD.
I am appalled at the treatment this young woman received, and while I normally abhor the knee-jerk reaction to sue at the drop of a hat, I hope she rakes the cops and this so-called medical professional/nurse over the coals.
There are have been a lot of issues with police forces (who typically have more male than female officers) being ignorant when it comes to investigating rape cases. I’m not sure if it is the “macho” attitudes or what? It’s sickening. If these people would stop and think that this could be their daugther or granddaughter or wife….They need more sensitivity training. As for the nurse and jail officials, although I personally don’t think I would take the morning after pill (but a rape situation does seem like an appropriate repsonse to use it), if their job description includes dispersing prescription medication…then do your damn job! If they have that serious of issues, then quit.
**Thanks for bringing this story to our attention. I hadn’t seen it on the news.
Wow! I hadn’t seen this story, but can always count on you to lead me to important news! And rile me right up! I am seeing red, to the point where I can’t even talk about it. Besides, you said it all so well already! Thanks!
Oh that is just terrible. That makes me feel sick. Really sick. I am a bit of a loss for words.
Sidebar is good in Firefox.
Had a draft email to nominate you in that very category- but couldn’t finish the nominations because I don’t read enough blogs. Now I will just have to go vote which is fine.
You are the women’s voice as far as I’m concerned.
Please keep talking.
Arrrrrrgh, that makes me mad!! Disgusting what liberties people will take with other’s rights because they feel like it.
And, I see your sidebar with the Share The Love link in it…but it’s on the left and alllllll the way down the page (under your left sidebar). I’m currently using IE 6.0.
I can’t see your right sidebar and use IE.
This story is altogether sickening.
Welcome to 1950 - check this story out too Iz: http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/2007/02/overzealous-big-pork-stomps-o n.html
Christ.
Your sidebars look completely sexilicious in Firefox, not that you asked, and also, I voted for you.
I’m using IE 7 and I can see your sidebar just fine.
Every time I hear about this story I just get pissed off! It’s absolutely ridiculous! Unforgiveable behavior from the people that are sworn to protect and serve.
Haven’t heard this until just now.
My blood is boiling for that victim. I hope she serves them their head on a platter and manages to heal and find some peace after what she was forced to endure.
I’m voting for ya, chicka. But then, you know I’ve got a girl crush on you….
That has to be one of the most disgusting and horrible stories I’ve ever read. Unbelievable!
Wasn’t the unpaid restitution over $4,000 or something? I think that’s what I had heard.
If the nurse indeed did that, the severest action possible should be taken against her and her employer.
Oh. My. God. What year IS this? If you have a problem dispensing any medication for any reason, don’t go into the damn healthcare field. That simple. If you choose to go into that field, then do your damn job. Unbelievable.
Oh, and I can see your sidebar fine right now, but I have to say I usually have trouble - it doesn’t disappear completely, it just goes all the way down underneath any posts that appear, so the page is 8 miles long. Plus I voted for you long before you asked.
I’m seething!! That just pisses me off so much!!! Aghhhhh!!
Every freaking headline that I read that horrifies or pisses me off, I can count on it to start with “Dateline…….Tampa” I swear to God.
Your sidebar is fixed now, too, it used to be WAY down on the bottom left.
I just don’t even have words. Other than, maybe, fuckity fuck fuck fuck what the fuck is wrong with our fucking world?
Oh, and proudly seconding your nomination!!!!
I hadn’t seen this story. It all makes me sad! I personally would never take the morning after pill, (especially now that I don’t have a uterus anymore) but my opinion is for myself, and not for other people. That’s horrible that she was denied the pill and horrible that she was treated so badly.
I have internet explorer and it is showing up just fine. Congrat’s on the nomination!
I saw that story and was appalled. At about the sme time I saw the one where the police detained and jailed a woman (also due to outstanding warrant) even though she had vaginal bleeding and claimed she was on her way to the hospital b/c she was afriad she was miscarrying (12 weeks pregnant). The female police officer told the woman to sit down and shut up,it was just a period. They never sought medical treatment until, after holding the woman in a cell all night while she bled, she passed a “large clump.” She did lose the baby.
It’s disturbing.
I heard and read about both stories-the one you posted about and the one of the woman pulled over and then was told by police her having a miscarriage was ‘not their problem’.
Look, I understand people can say anything, bullshit their way out of a ticket, getting pulled over by the cops. I also understand that the woman was charged before for mistreatment of children-wasn’t it?
I was appauled, but certainly not surprised, at the behavior of the cops. I mean, let’s face it-cops are not necessarily ’serve and protect’. And Florida cops? I don’t know anything good about them-Dade County anyone?
Damn it, I can’t think straight to continue….all I can say is DISTURBING.
That’s just sickening. Thanks for spreading the word about the TPD. Shame on them!
I’m speechless… Thank you so much for posting. I hadn’t heard about it. I think your response to the nurse was perfect. I don’t get this country. Abortion is legal. If it were any other right that was being taken away, something more would be done to ensure that that right was protected.
This is disgusting and sad. I don’t usually advocate “suing” but jeez in this case I think shes more than justified!
WTF is absolutely right. I dream of the day we are seen in the light.
Don’t you hate working out the bugs on your blog? I just cringe when someone tells me something is wrong, that they can’t see something because I’m lame at coding and can’t fix hardly anything. And I hate bringing it to my husband and telling him to “fix this please” makes me feel like an idiot. :)
That’s a depressing story, too depressing for words.
And glad to see you were nominated, good luck!
not. right.
I’m still in IE 6 and your sidebar is working fine.
Stories like that disgust me, but, sadly, I’m not surprised anymore.
OMG, I am so appalled. I don’t think suing for accidents is right when they could have been prevented by common sense, but this is no accident. I think punitive damages are seriously in order here, and that nurse should lose her job in a big hurry. Maybe even her license.
I’m appalled at the fact that they jailed her and refused to help her because of something from childhood. I hope she sues, too!
That story makes me sick.
I can’t imagine the horror this girl endured, and then to be treated like a criminal. And then have some selfish asshole nurse force her own beliefs on this girl? I hope this girl sues their pants off!
What is it with f*cking Florida?????? I can’t even blame Jeb anymore.
(And congrats on a well-deserved nomination. Yay!)
(Frantically patting down my pockets to find the magic potion I can give my daughter to keep her 2 forever.)
Pardon me while I beat my head off the desk for a few minutes. Repeatedly. …
There. Now I still don’t feel better. Perhaps I should make my way down to Florida and beat THEIR heads off of desks. For pity’s sake. Not just the police morons but the freaking DAGGONE NURSE.
Sorry. I’m up in arms. Pissed off. And otherwise annoyed.
That said, I just cast my vote for you. (Along with the others in different categories. :) )