Local Hospital Starts New Program for Sexual Assault Victims was originally published on The Sexist on Mar. 27, 2009, at 10:57 am
The Washington Hospital Center is piloting a new program for treating women who are victims of sexual assault. The “SANE program,” or “Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners,” will provide “survivors of sexual violence immediate access to a private room where one of 11 specially trained nurses will collect forensic evidence.” Sounds good to me.
Fox D.C. creepily frames the initiative by saying it will “preserve a woman’s dignity and collect the necessary evidence.” I’m unclear as to how and where most hospitals treat victims of sexual violence, but private rooms and professional medical personnel sound like they should be standard procedure to me. You should be placed in a private room with a professional anytime a medic is inspecting your genitals. Language about “preserving a woman’s dignity” makes these common-sense medical necessities seem like amenities to help women cope with their shame.
