FEMINIST HEALTH CENTER OF PORTSMOUTH
559 PORTSMOUTH AVE
GREENLAND, NH 3840
603-436-7588

TAPE – 682

(dialing sound) (ringing 2X)

CLINIC: Good morning. Feminist Health Center.

CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there.

CLINIC: We do.

CALLER: Okay. Well, much does that cost?

CLINIC: Well, it depends on how far along you are in your pregnancy.

CALLER: Okay. Well, how do you know?

CLINIC: Do you know the first day of your last period?

CALLER: January 3.

CLINIC: And as far as you can remember was that a normal period for you?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Were you taking any birth control pills, depo provera, Norplant at the time?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: January 3. So that would put you right now at under 9 weeks.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? So you would definitely be in a time that we could see you here.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Do you have insurance?

CALLER: Well, no, but my boyfriend said that he would pay for everything.

CLINIC: Okay. Well, that’s, you know, between you and him.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: If you wanted to pay with a credit card, the cost for the procedure would be $425.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And if you wanted to pay with cash it would be $410.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? And then the only other cost that could be accrued by you — do you happen to know your blood type?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay. We give you a finger prick while you’re here.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: What we’d be testing for is the positive or negative factor in your blood.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? And if you were negative you’d need an injection called Rogam (sp).

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: That medication helps protect you from the buildup of antibodies in your blood which could attack a future pregnancy.

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you know, it’s just — the thing is I’m going to be 14 later on this month.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: And my friend said you guys would have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: The — in New Hampshire there is no parental consent laws.

CALLER: Okay. So it’s all right if he’s there with me and is paying for everything?

CLINIC: Yep. There is no parental consent laws in New Hampshire.

CALLER: Okay. All right. Well, do you guys do a pregnancy test there just to make sure?

CLINIC: Have you already had one?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay, that’s the first thing you want to do.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: We wouldn’t even set up an appointment until you take a pregnancy test.

CALLER: Okay. So do I come in there for that or —

CLINIC: No, you can just go get one that’s over the counter.

CALLER: Oh. Are those usually right though?

CLINIC: Yeah, they’re usually very accurate.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? So you could do that. And then we could go from there.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: In terms of the procedure, have you gotten any information about that?

CALLER: Well, no, but my friend told me some stuff, so.

CLINIC: Okay. Did your friend have one here?

CALLER: Well, I don’t know. She just knows about it.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: But is there any way that I couldn’t, that I’m not pregnant?

CLINIC: Well, that’s what we need you to — I mean, there’s a million things that could be causing you not to get your period.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Obviously pregnancy would be the first thing that would be the most obvious.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? But that’s why we ask that you take a pregnancy test first.

CALLER: Okay. Well, me and my boyfriend were talking about all this, and we don’t — it’s just, the thing is, we don’t want anyone to know about us. If we came in there, would you have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: Like who?

CALLER: I don’t know. Just anybody?

CLINIC: No. I mean, you know, as long as — you know. We strive for confidentiality here, so.

CALLER: Okay. Well, so if it turned out after the pregnancy test that I take, if it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant could I come to you guys to get like birth control?

CLINIC: Yeah, definitely.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Most definitely. I mean, we just need to make an appointment. You need to have a pap smear and stuff like that, but yeah, we could set up an appointment for you to come do that as well.

CALLER: How much does birth control cost?

CLINIC: Well, if you were — basically what we’d have to have you do is come in for a pap smear and a gynecological visit.

CALLER: How much does that cost?

CLINIC: That’s $73.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And then you would also get a bill from the lab that processes your pap smear, and that would be, I think it’s around $28.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And then after that, depending on what method of birth control you were thinking about, you discuss that with one of our counselors.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And then we would write you a prescription, or whatever needed to be done, depending on what you wanted. Did you have something that you’re leaning toward?

CALLER: I don’t know. I just don’t want my parents to find out. But me and my boyfriend just don’t want to go through all this again, so.

CLINIC: Right. Well, you would be able to, you know, discuss that with a counselor here what you wanted to do with the birth control at that point.

CALLER: Okay. But if he was — it’s just I can’t drive yet. Would my boyfriend be able to — like if I’ve got pills, would my boyfriend be able to pick those up?

CLINIC: You’re not going to get them from us.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: You’re going to get a prescription.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: So. But I would first figure out what’s going on with your — with the pregnancy test, and then, you know.

CALLER: Okay. So do the pregnancy tests and then call you back? What was your name?

CLINIC: My name’s Kristen.

CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

CLINIC: Okay. Yep. Bye bye.

CALLER: Bye.

(phone clicks)

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