Iowa, Linn County should do more to assist sexual assault survivors

April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. After enduring the trauma of sexual assault, survivors need emotional support and medical treatment to process what has happened and begin to take steps toward healing and regaining control of their lives. For years, money to pay for medical exams, testing for sexually transmitted infections, and treatment, including the cost of emergency contraception, came from Iowa’s victim compensation fund, paid for by fines and penalties assessed from convicted criminals.

When Attorney General Brenna Bird took office, those funds were suddenly no longer available. Her office issued statements that Attorney General Bird was conducting an “audit” of victim services to determine whether payment for treatment following a sexual assault is “an appropriate use of public funds.” More than a year later, there is no conclusion to the “audit,” and funding has not resumed.

Both Polk and Johnson Counties have adopted policies that provide funding for necessary medical care, including emergency contraception, for sexual assault victims, but Linn County has not. I have been disappointed that after several attempts to reach my representative in the Linn County Supervisors’ office, I have had no response, other than one brief phone conversation. After suffering a sexual assault, survivors should not have to worry about whether to seek treatment and now to pay for it. Linn County residents should insist that it be public policy to stand with survivors and provide all the assistance they need.

Alice Dahle

Cedar Rapids