Survivors of sexual assault could receive around-the-clock access to a specialized medical examiner if a bill proposed by a Texas congressman passes.

Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) introduced a bill on July 26 that would require hospitals to provide access to sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs) or sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) for survivors of sexual violence. SAFEs and SANEs are specially trained examiners who are certified to provide forensic examination to survivors of sexual assault. According to a statement from Poe, hospitals would be required to have a SAFE on staff 24/7 or a plan to transport survivors to an area hospital that can provide forensic services. Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) co-sponsored the bill with Poe.

The bill, titled the Megan Rondini Act, is named after a University of Alabama student who committed suicide after her alleged rape. Rondini’s case was recently investigated by Buzzfeed News.

According to that investigation, Rondini alleged that T.J. Bunn, the son of a wealthy businessman, raped her after she blacked out at a bar with friends. Buzzfeed News reported that Rondini went to the authorities, but that the police focused on the fact that Rondini didn’t physically resist Bunn, despite telling him that she didn’t want to have sex with him. Rondini sought charges against Bunn, but later dropped them after learning that she could face felony charges for taking his gun while he was passed out–which she dropped outside after accidentally firing it. Unable to receive assistance from law enforcement or her university, Rondini withdrew from school and returned to her family’s home in Texas. However, Rondini’s depression and anxiety worsened, and on February 26, 2016, she committed suicide.

Poe introduced his bill to improve treatment for survivors of rape and sexual assault.

“Rape is a crime that destroys the very soul of a victim,” Poe said in his statement. “Often times, it is a fate worse than death. A victim must relive their attack over and over again…. The failures that drove Megan to commit suicide must not be allowed to continue in our society. Victims must be given a voice and the ability to have evidence collected and tested to bring them justice. This legislation helps give them both.”

The bill awaits further consideration until after the House of Representatives’ summer recess, from July 29 to September 5.

Marcus Dieterle

Marcus is an editorial intern at Law Street. He is a rising senior at Towson University where he is double majoring in mass communication (with a concentration in journalism and new media) and political science. When he isn’t in the newsroom, you can probably find him reading on the train, practicing his Portuguese, or eating too much pasta. Contact Marcus at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Two congresswomen from New York have introduced bills that could establish greater transparency in the ways menstrual product companies label ingredients and assess the health risks of products.

Rep. Grace Meng introduced the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act of 2017, which would require companies to include a list of ingredients on the label of menstrual products, such as menstrual cups, menstrual pads, tampons, and therapeutic vaginal douche apparatuses.

She’s joined by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, who reintroduced a bill that would amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a research program to determine whether chemicals in feminine hygiene products present any health risks. The bill, titled the Robin Danielson Feminine Hygiene Product Safety Act of 2017, was named after a 44-year-old woman who died of toxic shock syndrome from a tampon in 1998.

According to the Maloney’s bill, the average person who menstruates “may use as many as 16,800 tampons” in their lifetime.” Tampons can contain trace amounts of dioxin, which the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization have both concluded can cause cancer.

Aside from dioxin, Maloney’s bill would also instruct the National Institutes of Health to research the presence of synthetic fibers, chlorine, fragrances, dyes, preservatives, and other components in tampons and other feminine hygiene products.

“It is astounding that manufacturers of tampons, pads, menstrual cups and other menstrual hygiene products are not required to disclose the ingredients of these products,” Meng said in a statement on her website. “We can easily see the ingredients used in the shampoo we put in our hair—why doesn’t this apply to products that touch, or are inserted into, sensitive female anatomy?  Consumers are being denied access to crucial information, which affects their safety and impacts their ability to make informed choices. My bill, the Menstrual Products Right to Know Act, would finally change that.”

Activists took to D.C. in May in support of the bills.

Thank you to Rep. Grace Meng for introducing legislation on the right to know what’s in our menstrual products! #ComeClean #FemCarerally pic.twitter.com/6An6yA3rGl

— COLOR (@colorlatina) May 23, 2017

Thrilled to join @colorlatina to urge Congress and companies to care about feminine care! #FemCarerally #comeclean #detoxthebox pic.twitter.com/0fKr9jjFDz

— Morgan MenesesSheets (@morgmeneshets) May 23, 2017

Activism surrounding menstrual products is nothing new for Meng. In February, she introduced a “menstrual equity” bill to increase the availability and affordabillity of menstrual hygiene products.

The congresswomen’s bills are still in the early phases of the legislative process, but they highlight a need for transparency in menstrual health.

Marcus Dieterle

Marcus is an editorial intern at Law Street. He is a rising senior at Towson University where he is double majoring in mass communication (with a concentration in journalism and new media) and political science. When he isn’t in the newsroom, you can probably find him reading on the train, practicing his Portuguese, or eating too much pasta. Contact Marcus at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Bills Push to Make Menstrual Product Ingredients More Transparent appeared first on Law Street.