NORTHERN ILLINOIS WOMEN’S CENTER
1400 BROADWAY #201
ROCKFORD, IL 61104
815-963-4101

TAPE – 840

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: Northern Illinois Women’s Center. Can I help you?

CALLER: Hi. This is in Illinois?

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: Okay. I talked to the Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin, and they gave me this number. I was actually wondering if I could get an abortion.

CLINIC: Yeah. Can I put you on hold just a minute?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Hello?

CALLER: Uh-huh.

CLINIC: What was the first day of your last normal period?

CALLER: January 15th.

CLINIC: And your last name?

CALLER: Carter.

CLINIC: Carter?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: First name?

CALLER: Lisa.

CLINIC: Birthday?

CALLER: March 19, 1988.

CLINIC: What city do you live in?

CALLER: I live in Rockford.

CLINIC: A daytime phone number where you could be reached?

CALLER: Well, I don’t want to tell you. Actually, my boyfriend was going to get a cell phone to use that, but he just got it today, and I don’t have the number yet.

CLINIC: Okay. Well —

CALLER: But I was actually wanting to ask a question.

CLINIC: Sure.

CALLER: I’m just kind of worried. I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend told me that you guys would have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22, and he said he would pay cash for everything. Would he be able to take care of it and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: I’m going to have to check. Can I put you on hold?

CALLER: Okay.

(Short pause)

CALLER: Yeah?

CLINIC: Basically, everything here is confidential. But as far as the legality of it, I’m not sure. But you know what? It’s going to be the same place wherever you go. So if you want — if I did have a number to call you, it would come up private on the caller i.d. I’d just leave my name and a number. And the number that I leave we only answer hello to.

CALLER: Okay. Well, me and my boyfriend are really worried about all this. We were talking about it, and he said he would pay for everything, but we don’t want anyone to know about us. So if he was paying for it all, would he have to sign any papers or have his name on any forms?

CLINIC: No, only you.

CALLER: Okay. Well, I haven’t had a pregnancy test yet. Would you guys be able to do that there beforehand?

CLINIC: Yeah, we do that with everybody. But my suggestion is that you do take a test, like a home pregnancy test.

CALLER: Oh really?

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: Are those usually right?

CLINIC: Yeah. They’re 99. whatever percent effective. That’s what we use here to make sure.

CALLER: Okay. Well, if it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control from you guys?

CLINIC: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

CALLER: How much does that cost?

CLINIC: Actually, it wouldn’t cost anything for the prescription, but you’d have to pay for it at the pharmacy. You would have to pay for counseling and an exam by the doctor if it turns out that you are not pregnant.

CALLER: Okay. Well, how much is that then?

CLINIC: That’s $80. And if he does a sonogram, that’s 130.

CALLER: But if I was pregnant and I needed to get an abortion, how much would that be?

CLINIC: That $350. If your blood type is RH negative, which we check everybody, it’s 400.

CALLER: Okay. So you’re sure that you wouldn’t have to tell anybody about me and my boyfriend though if we came in there?

CLINIC: I’m not — but as far as because of your age difference, is that what it is?

CALLER: I don’t know, yeah.

CLINIC: Well, I’m not sure. I don’t know. I mean, you could give me a call back tomorrow after I talk to the doctor.

CALLER: Well, would it be better if I just didn’t talk about my boyfriend and he just dropped me off?

CLINIC: It’s really entirely up to you. I don’t know. We do have to know some information.

CALLER: Well, do you have to know about my boyfriend?

CLINIC: Nothing. About you. Do your parents even know at all?

CALLER: Huh?

CLINIC: Do your parents know at all?

CALLER: Well, they know we’re going out. He works with my dad. But they don’t know we’re having sex. If they found out about that, they’d be furious. They can’t find out at all. I mean, I don’t know — they just can’t find out.

CLINIC: I mean, he has nothing to do with this. But you have to (?) yourself. It has everything to do with you. We don’t require any information about him at all. I mean, we do ask who you came with, but all you have to say is my boyfriend.

CALLER: Okay. Well, what time are you guys open tomorrow?

CLINIC: We’ll be open 8 to 4:30 if you want to give a call back. My suggestion is call in the afternoon. If you want you can make an appointment. It’s really up to you.

Have you ever been to a gynecologist?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: You’ve never had a pelvic exam?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay. Yeah, just give me a call back tomorrow. My name’s Michele.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: If I don’t hear from the doctor by the time I talk to you, I’ll call him and maybe have you call me back during the same day or at some point, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: All right.

CALLER: All right. Thanks.

CLINIC: You’re welcome. Bye.

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