Listen to the Call:
Transcript:
PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF CLEVELAND
12000 SHAKER RD.
CLEVELAND, OH 44120
216-991-4000
TAPE – 771
(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)
CLINIC: Thanks for calling (unclear). How can I help you?
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there.
CLINIC: We do.
CALLER: How much does it cost for that?
CLINIC: What was the first day of your last menstrual period?
CALLER: January 3rd.
CLINIC: Okay, which means you are probably about nine weeks pregnant. Is there any insurance or public assistance you would use?
CALLER: Well, the thing is I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend said that you guys would have to tell my parents about all this. But my boyfriend’s 22, and he said he would take care of everything with cash. So would he be able to do that, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: Well, it’s not about the money. Ohio has a law, a parental notification law. If a woman is under 18, yes, you must have the signature of a parent or a legal guardian, or you can go through juvenile court and get something called a judicial bypass, in which case you don’t have to tell a parent.
Where do you live?
CALLER: I live in Cleveland Heights.
CLINIC: Okay. Well, do you have a pencil and paper?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Because I’m going to give you a couple phone numbers. And you can call juvenile court, and they can take care of that for you. And then you will not have to tell your parents. I need you to hold on for me one second.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Thanks.
RECORDING: — for information on writing school research papers. And health professionals, medical residents, social workers and graduate and undergraduate students come to observe and learn. Our commitment to education is one reason why so many women trust —
CLINIC: Thanks for waiting. Got a pen?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: These are all 216 numbers. The general number is 443-3451. You can call Mike at 443-3452 or Doris at 698-6544. And they can take care of that for you.
Now, when you come in, we’ll do an ultra sound. We do one on everybody. I assume, since you’re not telling parents, there’s no insurance you’ll be using, right?
CALLER: Right. My boyfriend said he would pay for everything.
CLINIC: Okay. Well, if you’re anywhere from 4 through 12 weeks — and like I said, you’re probably about nine now — the fees are $350 with local anesthetic. That means that you’re awake and you know what’s going on during the abortion. But we numb your cervix; $415 if you wanted to have sedation, where we still numb your cervix, but then we also give you a sedative through an IV that makes you relaxed and groggy and kind of out of it, but not completely asleep. And it’s 465 if you wanted to be completely asleep.
The actual abortion itself in the first trimester should take three to five minutes to perform. And those fees include everything– ultra sound, lab work, check out, birth control, all that sort of stuff.
CALLER: Well, do I need to pay for a lawyer to do the judicial thing?
CLINIC: No. It does not cost you anything. People think it’s this huge big deal, and it will take weeks to do, and it’s not. They have to see you — I think it’s within 72 hours. So give them a call.
CALLER: So do they ever say no or anything?
CLINIC: The judge can, but here in *Cuyahoga County the judges are good about granting them.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: And you’ll have a lawyer, something called a guardian ad litem, that’s appointed free to represent you through that.
CALLER: Me and my boyfriend were talking about all this, and we don’t want anyone to know about us. Would anyone have to know about him through all this?
CLINIC: No.
CALLER: So you guys would do a pregnancy test before everything and make sure I am pregnant?
CLINIC: Have you taken a pregnancy test?
CALLER: Well, no.
CLINIC: I’d encourage you to do that first of all. I mean, women can miss periods for other reasons. You can come here and do that. They’re free. You can just walk in. You can do that today up until 7:00 or Friday or Saturday between 9 and 1. And if you schedule an appointment to come for an abortion, we do an ultra sound. So we know not only that you’re pregnant but how many weeks pregnant you are.
CALLER: Well, if turned out that I wasn’t pregnant after taking a pregnancy test, could I get birth control from you guys?
CLINIC: Well, you can get it through out Planned Parenthood clinic, yes.
CALLER: Oh, okay. Well, would they have to tell anybody if I was on birth control though?
CLINIC: No. In the state of Ohio it doesn’t matter how old you are, your parents do not have to be informed for you to get birth control.
CALLER: And you’re sure nobody has to know about my boyfriend either?
CLINIC: Nope.
CALLER: Okay. All right. What was your name?
CLINIC: My name’s Heather. But anyone who answers the phone here can help you.
CALLER: And you said just to call you back after the judicial bypass?
CLINIC: Well, you can go ahead and schedule an appointment with us anytime. Again, I would suggest that you probably take a pregnancy test first. And you can call juvenile and just get information, maybe kind of get an idea of how long that will take so you’ll know when to schedule it for. But we have appointments. We can always see you within a week.
CALLER: Do you ever do them on Saturdays?
CLINIC: We do.
CALLER: What time on Saturday?
CLINIC: Well, I’m assuming you want to do this all in one visit, right?
CALLER: Yes.
CLINIC: 7, 8, 9 10, 11 a.m.
CALLER: It’s just my boyfriend works from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday.
CLINIC: Saturday would be fine. And we have appointments available for next Saturday. Do you want to go ahead and make an appointment?
CALLER: Well, let me call and make sure with him, and then call you back. Is that all right?
CLINIC: Sure. I’ll be here until 6:00.
CALLER: Do I need to call the juvenile people first?
CLINIC: You don’t have to, but I probably would and just kind of find out how that will go for you, how long that will take.
CALLER: Okay. So thanks.
CLINIC: Sure. No problem.
CALLER: Bye.
***END***