A Missouri pediatrician wants the state to change the way it handles sexual assault cases involving children. St. Louis Children’s Hospital Doctor Adrienne Atzemis says state law currently reimburses sexually transmitted disease testing for victims younger than age 14. During a statewide task force hearing, she says that’s not the case for kids 14 and older.
The 13-member task force is looking for ways to improve services and care for Missouri’s rape survivors. She says the state makes assumptions that like adults, teens are having consensual sex. Atzemis says she wants the state to change these rules.
She says the regulations also drive victims to doctors and hospitals they are not familiar with. The task force is reviewing ways to improve services and treatment of Missouri’s sexual assault survivors.
