Listen to the Call:
Transcript:
CENTER FOR CHOICE
MOBILE, AL 36606
334-476-2458
TAPE – 738
(Dialing, phone ringing)
CLINIC: Center for Choice. May 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: It varies. Is this for you?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: How many weeks of pregnancy?
CALLER: I’m not really sure. I just haven’t had my period since January 3rd.
CLINIC: January 3rd. Let’s see. Let me estimate that for you then. Was that when it began or ended, honey?
CALLER: Began.
CLINIC: Okay. And was that one pretty normal compared to your others?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: About nine weeks now, so you’re in the first trimester.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Do you know if your blood type if positive or negative?
CALLER: I’m not really sure.
CLINIC: Okay. Because that’s a factor too that goes in to making up the fee. Have you ever been pregnant before?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Well, I’ll give you the information both ways. Most of us — about 85 percent of us — are RH positive. So the odds are that’s what you are. And do you have insurance or would this be private pay?
CALLER: Well, my boyfriend said that he would pay for everything. But 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. But my boyfriend’s 22. Would he be able to take care of everything, and you wouldn’t have to tell my parents?
CLINIC: No. In Alabama, you do have to have the consent of one parent or legal guardian.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: And they do have to come to the clinic to do that.
CALLER: Really?
CLINIC: Where are you calling me from?
CALLER: Prattville.
CLINIC: In your phone back — do you have the Montgomery phone book?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Do they list one of the clinics in Pensacola? Because in Florida, if you’re 14 or over, you need no one’s consent. And there are two clinics in Pensacola. Do they list one in your phone book? I don’t have them here.
CALLER: I would have to look, but I think I can find it.
CLINIC: Okay. And that would be a way around it. If you don’t feel comfortable to involve your parents, then you could just go to Pensacola.
CALLER: Well, could I come there for a pregnancy test just to make sure?
CLINIC: They’ll do all that for you?
CALLER: In Pensacola?
CLINIC: Um-hmm, yeah. You’re in Prattville? You might want to go to one of the clinics there in Montgomery just to get your pregnancy test.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: The best one I know of — and I don’t have their phone number handy. But it’s Reproductive Health Service. And they’re downtown, like down on Perry.
CALLER: Okay. Well, it’s just my boyfriend gave me the number where you’re at. And I have a friend that lives in Mount Vernon. So we were actually wanting to go to you guys.
CLINIC: Yeah. Well, you would need to have one parent or legal guardian with you.
CALLER: But I mean like to get a pregnancy test.
CLINIC: Well, you really don’t — I mean, we’ll be glad to do it for you. You’re in Prattville now?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Yeah. As I said, there’s a good center there in Montgomery. They’d be a lot closer for you.
CALLER: Okay. But would anybody have to know if I was getting a pregnancy test?
CLINIC: No.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: That is your private business.
CALLER: So my parents don’t have to be there for that?
CLINIC: Right.
CALLER: Okay. It’s just me and my boyfriend were talking about all this, and he said he would pay cash for everything. But we don’t want anybody to know about us. Would he have to sign anything or fill out any forms?
CLINIC: Nope. Nope. And your best bet, it sounds like, is going to Pensacola to have the procedure done. But the clinic in Montgomery that can do a reliable test for you and is probably going to be not that hard for you to get to is Reproductive Health Service. And they’re on Perry Street. That’s now near the governor’s mansion, in that old part of town.
CALLER: Well, if it ended up that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control too?
CLINIC: Probably with them. Probably so.
CALLER: But would they have to tell anybody if I was on birth control?
CLINIC: No. At 14 or over, you are entitled to any component of health care without your parent’s consent except for abortion. And that’s in Alabama. Florida doesn’t have that law.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: I just wish I could talk to my mom like I’m talking to you. Could I call you if I had any other questions?
CLINIC: My name is Pat. And the director of the clinic in Montgomery is June. And you’ll find that she’s understanding too.
CALLER: Really? All right.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Okay. Thanks.
CLINIC: All right. Good luck. Bye bye.
***END***