WEST ALABAMA WOMEN’S CENTER
535 JACK WARNER PKWY NE # 1
TUSCALOOSA, AL 35404
205-556-2026

TAPE – 736

(Dialing, phone ringing)

CLINIC: West Allen Medical (unclear) Women’s Center.

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

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am.

CALLER: Okay. I can’t hear you very well. Can you talk a little louder?

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am.

CALLER: Okay, thanks. I’m sorry.

CLINIC: Can you hold, please?

CALLER: All right.

(Pause)

CLINIC: Thanks for holding.

CALLER: Hi. So you guys do do abortions there?

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am.

CALLER: How much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: How many weeks are you?

CALLER: I’m not really sure. How do you know?

CLINIC: When was your last normal period?

CALLER: January 3rd.

CLINIC: Anything 12 weeks or less would be 300, and that includes your lab work, ultra sound, counseling, procedure, birth control pills, all of your take-home medications, and a follow-up visit.

CALLER: Okay. The thing is, 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 —

CLINIC: Hold on one second for me.

CALLER: All right.

(Short pause)

CLINIC: Okay. Now how old are you?

CALLER: I’m going to be 14 later on this month, like on the 19th. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: Okay. If you’re that age, then you have to have a parent or legal guardian present with you.

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am.

CALLER: Oh. Well, is there any way not to have to tell them. I mean, they know my boyfriend. He works with my dad. They just can’t find out we’re having sex. I mean, if they found out about that, I don’t know what they would do.

CLINIC: But the thing is, is you’re a minor. And the state law requires that you have a parent or legal guardian with you to give consent for you to do the procedure. If you are emancipated, which means if you’re married, you can do that without their consent, or sometimes you can go through the court system and get a waiver. But as young as you are, I don’t know that they would grant you that.

CALLER: Oh. Well, do I need to get a lawyer for that?

CLINIC: You can try to go through the court system, but at your age I don’t know if they would award that to you. So most likely you’re going to have to go through your parents.

CALLER: Oh. Well, could I come in there for a pregnancy test just to make sure I am pregnant though?

CLINIC: You can do that without their consent?

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: Okay. So do you think that there would be any way that I’m not pregnant?

CLINIC: Have you missed a period?

CALLER: Yeah. I haven’t had it since January 3rd.

CLINIC: And you’ve had unprotected intercourse?

CALLER: Uh-huh.

CLINIC: And you’ve been having normal periods?

CALLER: Usually. Well, every once in a while I’m like a week late, but it’s never been this long.

CLINIC: If you’ve had unprotected intercourse, and you’ve been having normal periods that you haven’t had now, then there’s a probability that you have gotten pregnant.

CALLER: Oh. But I could come in for a pregnancy test and check it out?

CLINIC: You could.

CALLER: Okay. And nobody would have to know about it?

CLINIC: No. And if you come in for your pregnancy test, if you inquire about the information and get the waiver, we can go ahead and give that to you and let you go to the courthouse.

CALLER: Okay. Me and my boyfriend were talking about all this. And we decided that — well, he said that he would pay cash for everything, but we don’t anyone to know about us. Would he have to sign anything if he was paying for it all, for like the pregnancy test?

CLINIC: No. We don’t have to do anything for the pregnancy test. I mean, if you get a sensitive test, it’s $20. You wouldn’t have to sign or do anything.

CALLER: Well, if that test came out that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control from you guys?

CLINIC: You could. You would just have to set up an appointment for a gynecology, and come back and get your pap smear and everything done.

CALLER: Okay. But would anybody have to know if I was on birth control though?

CLINIC: They should not know.

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: Uh-uh.

CALLER: Okay. Well, the thing is, I can’t drive. Would my boyfriend be able to pick up the birth control pills?

CLINIC: Well, you would have a prescription. You’d just go through a pharmacy.

CALLER: Oh, okay. All right. I just have a lot of questions, and I don’t know, I can’t think of anything else to ask you. But if I thought of something, could I cal and talk to you? What was your name?

CLINIC: Christine.

CALLER: Okay. All right. Thanks.

CLINIC: Okay. You’re welcome.

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