A bill to allow a sexual assault victim, if requested, to receive a copy of their forensic medical exam is scheduled to be heard in the Louisiana Senate today. Bill Author, Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell said she was shocked to learn this was even an issue after attending a sexual assault oversite commission meeting.
“But at a conservation, there was the first time it had really been made clear to me that a sexual assault survivor does not have the right to her report,” said Mizell.
The Senate Bill 147 was amended in committee that only a competent adult victim may request a copy of the exam from the healthcare provider who performed the examination. Mizell said a copy must be provided to the patient no later than 14 days after the request is received.
“We’ve limited the request for the survivor to get that report based on the forensic medical exam, it’s only what’s reproducible, it’s no photographs, it’s no hard evidence or anything like that,” said Mizell.
STAR (Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response) Legal Director Morgan LeMandre said it’s about your medical health and victims of other crimes, for example, a gunshot wound, are able to have a copy but not victims of sexual assault.
LeMandre said she and Mizell were told at a sexual assault oversite commission meeting why victims are denied a copy of the report….
“We were told victims may not be able to handle what’s in the report, and Senator Mizell said it best, she said I can’t believe I’m hearing a victim can’t handle seeing a report after they’ve already lived through something,” said LeMandre.
If passed the bill is a companion piece of legislation to Shreveport Representative Thomas Pressly’s, House Bill 313, granting crime victims certain rights.
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