Newsletter: Fall 2004: Policy Update

Survivors Can Speak Out On Campus
In order to learn the results of the campus disciplinary hearings against her rapist, Kate Dieringer signed a form barring her from speaking about the result, except to her parents and one close adviser.  Such forms are standard on many campuses.  But in response to a complaint filed by Dieringer, the U.S. Department of Education decided that Georgetown's policy violates a federal campus crime law known as the Campus Sexual Assault Victims' Bill of Rights of 1992.  The law requires that victims receive information about disciplinary proceedings without any conditions or limitations.

Plan B goes to Plan B
In late July, Barr Laboratories submitted a new application to the FDA to make Plan B emergency contraception available to women 16 and older without a prescription.  In May 2004 the FDA denied over-the-counter access to Plan B, claiming that Barr Laboratories had not done enough to prove its safety for girls under 16 years of age.  If the FDA approves Barr's new application, the "by prescription only" rule would only apply to women ages 15 and younger.  Earlier in July, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure barring the FDA from keeping any contraceptive off the over-the-counter market once the FDA has found it to be safe and effective. The bill did not specifically mention Plan B, but many of the bill's supporters cited Plan B as their reason for pushing the vote.

VotePower Project Fights for Victims' Vote
The National Network to End Domestic Violence's VotePower Project has partnered with state domestic violence coalitions or other organizations in New Mexico, Wisconsin, Arizona, Washington and Nevada to address voter confidentiality, voter registration, and other issues for battered women in shelters and outreach programs. Victims of domestic violence often have extraordinary needs for safety and confidentiality, and may hesitate to register to vote or take any other steps that would allow their address to be published in public records. This group of women is unlikely to be reached by traditional voter mobilization campaigns. VotePower Action Kits also are being distributed to Minnesota, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kansas.  A manual will be developed and distributed to all 54 state and U.S. territory domestic violence coalitions.  Visit http://www.nnedv.org/ for more information.

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