MEDICAL OPTIONS
135 MAIN ST.
DANBURY, CT 6813
203-743-5064

TAPE – 734

(Dialing, phone ringing)

CLINIC: Good afternoon, Medical Options. This is Karen. How may I help you?

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

CLINIC: Uh-huh.

CALLER: Okay. Do you know how much it cost for that?

CLINIC: Six hundred dollars.

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. Is he old enough to take care of everything, and you won’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: You would have to sign minor consent forms. And we would need to put down a parent as an emergency phone number. We wouldn’t need parental consent. Let me just check on that. Hold on.

(Short pause)

CLINIC: Yes, that’s right.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: So did you want to make an appointment?

CALLER: I just was wanting to ask a few more questions. Me and my boyfriend were talking about all this. And he said that he would pay cash for everything, but he didn’t want to sign anything. If he was paying for it all, would he have to sign any papers or fill out any forms?

CLINIC: Hold for a second.

CALLER: All right.

(Pause)

CLINIC: Hello?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. What was your question?

CALLER: I was wondering if my boyfriend had to sign anything if he was paying for everything.

CLINIC: He only has to sign anything if he wants to go with you for the termination into the procedure room.

CALLER: Oh. So he could just stay in the lobby, and he wouldn’t have to sign anything?

CLINIC: Right.

CALLER: Okay. Do you guys do a pregnancy test beforehand just to make sure?

CLINIC: Yes, and an ultra sound.

CALLER: It’s just I haven’t had a pregnancy test. I haven’t had my period since January 3rd. We’re just really scared about all this.

CLINIC: Since January 7th?

CALLER: 3rd.

CLINIC: January 3rd. Do you get regular periods every month?

CALLER: Well, usually. Sometimes I’m like a week late or so but never this long.

CLINIC: If you want, you can come and take a pregnancy test here with us or you can go to a supermarket and get one. You can take a home pregnancy test. And if it comes out positive, then you can make an appointment with us.

CALLER: Are those usually right though?

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: Um-hmm.

CALLER: Are the ones that you guys do better?

CLINIC: They’re the same.

CALLER: Oh, really?

CLINIC: Um-hmm. They’re about 98 percent sure or 99 percent even.

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

CLINIC: You would have to get that from a regular doctor.

CALLER: Oh. You guys don’t do birth control there?

CLINIC: No. But you might be able to get that from Planned Parenthood if you don’t have a regular gynecologist.

CALLER: Yeah, I don’t. Would they have to tell anybody if I was on birth control though?

CLINIC: Would Planned Parenthood?

CALLER: Right.

CLINIC: I don’t think so, but you’d have to ask them.

CALLER: Okay. All right. So when do you guys normally do abortions? Do I need an appointment?

CLINIC: Oh yeah, definitely. We would do two appointments for you. We would have you come in beforehand where we would do an ultrasound. And then we would have a counseling session, where you would sign a consent form. We’d have to take your blood pressure, do all that sort of thing. The two appointments are included in the total fee, but in the first appointment you would pay $250, and then for the second appointment you would pay the balance of 350.

CALLER: Okay. So my boyfriend would have to take two days off to bring me?

CLINIC: It would — yeah. Does he work on Saturdays?

CALLER: Well, no.

CLINIC: Because Saturday is the day that we do a termination.

CALLER: Oh, okay. So just come in on a normal weekday for the first part, and then come on Saturday for the abortion?

CLINIC: Right.

CALLER: Do you know what times you have in the middle of the week?

CLINIC: For next week?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. Let me see. Does it matter which day it is? We’re not open on Wednesdays.

CALLER: Thursday or Friday probably.

CLINIC: Friday?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Thursday or Friday. Thursday would be better because I imagine that you don’t know your blood type.

CALLER: Right.

CLINIC: So let me see. We’re going to need to know your blood type. We can draw it when you come here or you can have it drawn somewhere else. But it’s $20 to be drawn here or we can send it to a Quest lab. I have no idea how much they charge.

CALLER: How much does it cost for you guys to do it?

CLINIC: Twenty dollars.

CALLER: Okay. We should probably just go there to you guys for that. Do you know how much money my boyfriend should bring for everything?

CLINIC: On Thursday when you come in, he should bring $270. That includes the blood draw. And then when you come back on Saturday, then he would pay the balance of 350. As long as you’re a first trimester and as long as you are planning to have twilight anesthesia. There’s two kinds of anesthesia. You can also have local anesthesia, which is a less expensive procedure, but it’s also less comfortable, meaning we would only numb the cervix. With twilight anesthesia you would be sedated. You’d be mostly asleep. You’d be sort of kind of high and cloudy and relaxed.

CALLER: Okay. So that one’s better?

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: (Chuckles). Okay. So you want to come in on Thursday?

CALLER: Well, let me call him and see what time on Thursday.

CLINIC: Okay. Because you need to get your blood drawn, I would almost recommend that you came in on Tuesday instead just in case. Because it would just sort of hopefully come in from the lab by Saturday if you came in on Thursday, but if you need to do Thursday, then we’ll do that. You should come on Tuesday, but if not, Thursday’s fine.

CALLER: So what time on Tuesday then?

CLINIC: Whenever time you can, except 3:00 on Tuesday. That’s the only other appointment we have on Tuesday. So anytime basically.

CALLER: So what do you have on Thursday?

CLINIC: Anything before 3:00.

CALLER: Okay. Well, let me call him and tell him that.

CLINIC: But it can’t be between 12 and 1 because that’s the lunch hour.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: So give me a call back.

CALLER: And you were Karen?

CLINIC: Karen, uh-huh. What was your name?

CALLER: Lisa.

CLINIC: Lisa. Okay.

CALLER: Okay, bye.

CLINIC: Bye.

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PLANNED PARENTHOOD
44 MAIN ST
DANBURY, CT 6810-8047
203-743-2446

TAPE – 042

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood.

CALLER: Hi. I was wondering, do you guys do abortions there?

CLINIC: No, we do not. The closest Planned Parenthood that does them would be Stanford or New Haven.

CALLER: Okay. Do you have their phone number?

CLINIC: Sure. Stanford’s number is 203-327-2722.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And New Haven’s number is 203-387-3131.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood requires a pre-exam, and you can have that done here at our office in Danbury, or you can call New Haven and Stanford and see if they can get you in for everything in one day.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Well, can I ask you a question real quick?

CLINIC: Sure.

CALLER: My friend actually told me that you guys have to tell my parents before I can have an abortion.

CLINIC: No, that’s not true.

CALLER: Not at all?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: It’s just the problem is I can’t tell my parents because my boyfriend’s 22. And we’re planning on getting married, but they hate him. So like they just think he’s too old for me. And there’s just no way that they can find out we’re having sex. They would be just totally freaked out.

CLINIC: How old are you?

CALLER: I’m going to be 14 in March.

CLINIC: Okay. I mean, it’s not a law that your parents have to be told. But we do suggest that you do talk to them.

CALLER: They wouldn’t understand at all.

CLINIC: Okay. I would try calling Stanford or New Haven to see if they can get you in for everything.

CALLER: Okay. Would they have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: I’m sorry?

CALLER: Would they have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: No. Let me put you on hold one second.

CALLER: All right.

(Pause)

CLINIC: Thanks for holding. You know what? Let me make an appointment for the pre-exam here for you; that way you have that.

CALLER: Okay. I would have to call my boyfriend and see when he can get off work. I don’t know — to make an appointment.

CLINIC: Okay. Well, can we just make one tentatively, and then if you can’t make it, you can switch in?

CALLER: Yeah, okay.

CLINIC: How about that?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Let me see when the soonest appointment I have available is.

How about I put you in next Tuesday at 2:45?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay. Now, let me have your last name.

CALLER: It’s Smith.

CLINIC: That’s your last name?

CALLER: Uh-huh.

CLINIC: And your first name?

CALLER: It’s Christine.

CLINIC: And you’ve never been here before, right?

CALLER: Right.

CLINIC: Have you called to make an appointment before?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: And what town do you live in, Christine?

CALLER: I live in Newtown.

CLINIC: Where?

CALLER: New Town.

CLINIC: Everything we do is confidential.

CALLER: Okay. And you don’t have to tell anybody, right? Like no one is going to find out.

CLINIC: Everything we do is confidential.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: What’s your address?

CALLER: Well —

CLINIC: You said you live in New Town. I just need the street address.

CALLER: Do you really have to know that?

CLINIC: It’s just information that we need to document into the computer.

CALLER: Can I just call you back?

CLINIC: Can you just give me the address? Everyday we do is confidential. I just need your street address.

CALLER: Well, can I call you back? My mom’s friend — or my friend’s mom is coming. I’ve got to go.

CLINIC: Christine, let me just have your phone number.

CALLER: Well —

CLINIC: Christine —

CALLER: What was your name? So I can call you back?

CLINIC: Can you just give me your phone number? I’m not going to call you. I just need to have it.

CALLER: Well, I just — she’s like going to be here in a second. What is your name?

CLINIC: My name is Corrina (sp). Can you just give me your phone number?

CALLER: Well, I need to call you back.

CLINIC: Can you just give me your phone number, Christine?

CALLER: I — I got to go.

***END***