How can Indiana lawmakers do anything butlook into why Indiana is the second worst state in the nation for sexual assault among high school girls?
The fact that 17.3 percent of girls in Indiana are raped or sexually assaulted between grades nine and 12 is not only heartbreaking, it's a public health emergency.
The initial trauma of this aggression is tragedy enough. But society has long understood that the suffering for a majority of victims does not end there. The physical and mental consequences often last a lifetime.
Among the litany of psychological after-effects: fear, rage, anxiety, relationship problems and ineffable sadness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the physical toll can vary greatly, too, from eating issues and insomnia to chronic pain and organ damage. These crimes wound in ways as diverse as the victims themselves.
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