Rape and Sexual Assault: Common Misconceptions Of Males Perpetrating Date Rape

Since I took her out and paid for the date, she should have sex with me.

When she says no, she really means yes.

If she's aroused, she wants to have sex.

She wouldn't go parking with me if she didn't want to have sex.

If she didn't want to have sex, why did she let me go as far as she did? If she gets me erect, then it's her responsibility to do something about it.

She's slept with other people, so she should sleep with me.

We've had sex before, and she didn't say no then.

against certain STDs is often provided for the victim. Treatment with zidovudine, for example, is recommended for individuals who are at a high risk of exposure to HIV. The CDC recommends the following prophylactic regimen be provided for victims of sexual assaults in which vaginal, oral, or anal penetration took place:

• a single dose of ceftriaxone, an antibiotic effective against Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• a single dose of metronidazole, an antibiotic effective against Trichomonas vaginalis
• a single dose of azithromycin or doxycycline, antibiotics effective against Chlamydia trachomatis
• inoculation with the post-exposure hepatitis B vaccine

In some instances, cultures may be taken during the medical examination and at time points afterward to test for gonorrhea or chlamydia. It is important that the victim receive information regarding the symptoms of STDs and be counseled to return for further examination if any of these symptoms occur.

Female victims at risk for becoming pregnant after an assault should be counseled on the availability of emergency contraception. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), emergency contraception is not effective if there is no pregnancy but works to prevent pregnancy from occurring by delaying or preventing ovulation, by affecting the transport of sperm, and/or by thinning the inner layer of the uterus (endometrium) so that implantation is prevented. It is therefore not a form of abortion.

A number of options are available for women if they choose to use emergency contraceptives to prevent pregnancy following a sexual assault. The Yupze regimen uses two oral contraceptive pills that contain both of the hormones estrogen and progestin. The risk of pregnancy is reduced by 75% after use of the Yupze regimen, reducing the average number of pregnancies after unprotected sex from eight in 100 to two in 100. Progestin-only oral contraceptives are also available and reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89% to 95%.

— Stéphanie Islane Dionne