A 19-year-old woman is suing George Washington University after being denied treatment on the night of her rape because she "appeared intoxicated."
The plaintiff, a 19-year-old sophomore, also filed suit against the District, Howard University Hospital and several local doctors. The complaint states she was given a date-rape drug at an off-campus party near Howard and was then denied a rape kit at several hospitals - including GW.
..."There is no legitimate reason why it was handled this way," said Bruce Spiva, her attorney. "She has really been hurt by this and is reluctant to speak out publicly."
Even when the woman went to the police, she was denied help.
"A sexual assault kit is for police to recover evidence," said Sergeant Ronald Reid of the MPD Sex Assault Unit. "So if we don't have reason to believe a crime happened we wouldn't administer a rape kit."
So they didn't believe a crime had been committed because she appeared intoxicated? (Which isn't a shock considering she was drugged.) Make sure to read the whole story of her assault and subsequent horror story at multiple hospitals. It's just too depressing for words.
This post first appeared at Feministing.