Lockbox for Leda Health at the University of Washington Kappa Delta sorority.
Tatem Rayner
Academic studies show that the overwhelming majority of women who have been sexually assaulted do not seek medical care afterward. That’s why Madison Campbell, CEO of her venture-backed Leda Health, is launching a DIY post-rape assault program aimed at helping victims gather evidence of what happened to them from the comfort of their own homes. designed a test kit for
“The idea of providing medical services at home is not new, but it has never been done to victims of sexual assault,” she said. forbes.
Campbell is betting that companies and government agencies will purchase these kits as a way to help these victims, and they could be used to prosecute perpetrators in the future.
But so far, no such “Early Evidence Kit” has been admissible as evidence in U.S. criminal courts. And now, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office is warning that the company’s practices are “unfair and deceptive,” according to a cease and desist letter sent Oct. 31.
Leda Health, a Forbes 30 Under 30 company earlier this year, does not sell directly to consumers and has only one customer. It’s the Kappa Delta, a sorority at the University of Washington.
The sorority will pay $17 per member for an academic year’s services, for a total of $1,755. In exchange, Leda Health will provide face-to-face sexual health and related courses, 24/7 phone support from contract nurses for victims of sexual assault, and both emergency contraceptives and these kits. Provide a locked box that can only be accessed by members of the sorority, including
Back in 2018, when it operated under the name “MeToo Kits Company,” Leda Health faced similar legal obstacles from attorneys general in other states, including Illinois, Michigan and New York. These legal concerns were ultimately moot when the company never launched its products in those states.
Leda Health, meanwhile, said it has raised $9.2 million in venture capital from New York Ventures, Asymmetry Ventures, Nashville Entrepreneur Center and others.
Campbell said forbes Opposition in Washington and other states to the company’s strategy is “politically motivated,” and her company’s approach is one in which the majority of sexual assault victims who do not seek treatment receive inadequate services. The CEO, who says she is a sexual assault survivor herself, cites her company as meeting a market need.
“Why are they coming at us with this ferocity?” she said.
The CEO said her company’s technology, which records when a customer’s lock box is opened, could be used to establish an impregnable record.
“From a technology standpoint, there are a lot of things that also go into the chain of custody,” she said. “When things started and ended – that way, if someone wants to use it in court, they can do it.
But Washington officials, University of Washington health care providers, and legal experts say the company’s kit could undermine prosecution of perpetrators because this evidence may not be accepted in court. says.
Put another way, critics say Leda Health’s products are unproven. The traditional “Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner” or SANE system, on the other hand, is a decades-old nurse credential that defines how biological evidence should be collected.
Laura Clinton, director of consumer protection for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, said, “Until it’s proven to be probative, what you’re doing precludes survivors’ ability to prosecute cases. That’s it,’ he said. forbes.
Other outside legal experts expressed similar views.
John Flynn, president of the National Association of District Attorneys, also emphasized these points.
“If the victim is seeking justice at the end of the day, it’s counter-intuitive to get justice because these kits won’t be recognized in court,” he said. forbes.
Beyond legal issues, some health experts question why students should pay extra for medical services that the universities themselves already provide for free, or why sororities I am expressing concern as to whether I will have to pay the fees.
Shannon Bailey, director of the Livewell Center at the University of Washington, which provides health education to students, said: forbes At UW, the university itself offers the same services free of charge as Leda Health, from informational sessions to post-traumatic screening. Furthermore, victims are not obligated to report perpetrators to law enforcement if they do not wish to do so.
“If you take the SANE exam, you don’t have to collect forensic evidence,” says Bailey. “Individuals can make decisions about what they want after seeking treatment.”
