8/3/2009 - August 2009 SLI Educational Update - Abortion Clinics Fail to Report Rape and Sexual Abuse
AN EDUCATIONAL UPDATE FROM
THE SOUTHEAST LAW INSTITUTE™, INC.
To: SLI Supporters
Date: August 2009
From: A. Eric Johnston
Re: Abortion Clinics Fail to Report Rape and Sexual Abuse
For many years the pro-life community has been concerned with rape and sexual abuse of minors not being reported by abortion clinics. Organizations like Sav-A-Life and CareNet have counseled with many young girls who have been abused by older boyfriends, family members and friends. Sexual abuse, including rape, are crimes that can be prevented if responsible adults will do what they should.
Teachers, social workers, doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other similar persons and organizations, have mandatory reporting requirements of child abuse. Section 26-14-3, 1975 Code of Alabama, require these people to report known or suspected child abuse, which includes sexual abuse of minor girls. Reports should be made to law enforcement. Since minors are involved, law enforcement will inform the Alabama Department of Human Resources who will then provide protective services to the child. Law enforcement follows up with investigation and prosecution of any crimes that may have been committed. It is a crime for those listed in the statute not to report suspected or known child abuse. More importantly, the reporting of suspected or known child abuse may be necessary to save the life or the health of the minor child and to keep significant crimes of abuse from taking place.
Our suspicions are that abortion clinics do not report known sexual abuse. Organizations like Life Dynamics have worked to uncover this failure to report. There have been investigations, the most notable of which was by the former Kansas Attorney General, Phill Kline. When the Indiana Attorney General, Steve Carter, sought to review medical records of Planned Parenthood, that Planned Parenthood’s response was to seek court orders prohibiting law enforcement’s review of its records.
Recently, we were informed that the group “Live Action,” a private pro-life group from California, had investigated Planned Parenthood of Alabama (“PPA”). Lila Rose, a 20 year old student, posed as a 14 year old girl who was impregnated by her 31 year old boyfriend. A tape recording was made of her conversation with an employee in the Birmingham office. The employee indicated that PPA might not report the sexual abuse to police.
When PPA learned of this, according to The Birmingham News, their response was that “an essential part of our mission is protect teens and make sure they get the counseling and medical care they need.” Apparently, this does not mean reporting sexual abuse. PPA will probably respond like the Planned Parenthood of Indiana did. Protecting their records and promoting their culture of abortion is more important than protecting the lives and health of minors and punishing those who have abused them.
Child abuse can come in many forms. Usually it is physical abuse of some type, although it includes neglect in not providing proper care for children. Sexual abuse is the most serious type of child abuse. This abuse occurs principally when older men force sexual relations on younger girls. Under Alabama law, the most significant crimes of sexual abuse of a minor are the degrees of rape, which are all punishable as felonies:
§ 13A-6-61 (a)(3). Rape in the first degree.
“He or she, being 16 years or older, engages in sexual intercourse with a member of the
opposite sex who is less than 12 years old.”
§ 13A-6-62(a)(1). Rape in the second degree.
Being 16 years old or older, he or she engages in sexual intercourse with a member of
The opposite sex less than 16 and more than 12 years old.
Alabama Department of Public Health teenage birth statistics from the latest reported period of 2007 shows that 6,641 girls under the age of 19 years gave birth. Additionally, for girls aged 10 to 19, statistics show 1,696 had abortions in Alabama. Statistically, we believe a number of these fit within the ages explained above for rape. In that they are minors, reports should have been made. We do not believe they have been. We suspect that a review of criminal records in Alabama counties where abortions are performed, viz., Jefferson, Mobile, Madison and Tuscaloosa, will show a dearth of reports.
The Alabama Attorney General, Troy King, has requested a copy of the recording of Lila Rose’s conversation with PPA. The Alabama Pro-Life Coalition has written General King encouraging an investigation and, if appropriate, prosecution. The investigation should not only be of PPA, but also of other abortion clinics in the State of Alabama.
Sexual abuse by boyfriends, relatives, family friends and others severely damages young girls. More importantly, when conception occurs, an innocent life may be taken. Mandatory reporting and criminal laws must be enforced. Please share this information with your friends. Contact the Attorney General’s office and request this investigation. He may be contacted as follows: The Honorable Troy King, Attorney General, State of Alabama, Alabama State House, 11 South Union Street, Third Floor, Montgomery, AL 36130; (334) 242-7300; or http://www.ago.alabama.gov.
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