I'm calling on Rhode Island to pass The Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights S2374 that will guarantee comprehensive, common sense civil rights for survivors:

Rise’s Five Key Civil Rights:

1. The right to not have your rape kit destroyed before either 20 years or the statute of limitations has passed (whichever is longer).
2. The right to be notified of your civil rights related to a sexual assault.
3. The right to not be charged for your own rape kit examination.
4. The right to access your own medical record related to a rape kit examination.
5. The right to a copy of your own police report.

Over forty states have backlogs for untested kits. Some states do not cover the full medical expenses of a kit, leaving survivors to pay their own way towards justice. Most states destroy rape kits before the statute of limitations for the crime has passed. The lack of these rights has inspired us to act.

On the day of my sexual assault, I went to Rhode Island Hospital to get a rape kit done. I was immediately brought into a triage room and then transferred to a private room in the ER. I was seen by a doctor who then called for a nurse who was trained to complete rape kits. While I was waiting, nurses came in and took labs to test for drugs and STDs. I waited for three hours to find that they could not find a nurse to complete the kit. The hospital sent me across the street to Women and Infants Hospital. Their staff took me in immediately and completed my rape kit. All of the labs that the nurses took at Women and Infants took went into my rape kit. This kit would not be tested unless I pressed charges against my assailant. Weeks later, I called RI hospital to find my lab results that they had run. I learned that they never ran the labs that were ordered. I was advised against pressing charges at the time so my rap kit still sits on a shelf. I may never find out the lab results from that day. No person should ever feel in the dark about what happened to them. This bill will protect survivors by providing them with services and rights that they deserve following a trauma.

This is a crisis for 25 million survivors across America, and it's time for our legislators to do something about it.

Sign this petition, then learn more at our website -- and if you have a few minutes to contribute to the cause, take a look here at the quick, easy, ways you can make an impact now!