Listen to the Call:
Transcript:
SARASOTA WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER
5025 N TAMIAMI TRAIL
SARASOTA, FL 34234
941-355-9796
TAPE – 744
(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)
CALLER: Saratoga Women’s Health Center. Can I help you?
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there.
CLINIC: Yeah, we do. Can you hold one moment?
CALLER: All right.
(Short pause)
CLINIC: Okay. Did you want to make an appointment?
CALLER: Well, I was just wanting to ask some questions first.
CLINIC: Go ahead.
CALLER: How much does it cost to get an abortion?
CLINIC: Well, it depends on how many weeks you are.
CALLER: Okay. Well, how you know?
CLINIC: By the first day of your last menstrual period.
CALLER: That was January 3rd.
CLINIC: Okay. Let’s see. January 3rd?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: That would put you at about nine weeks. And that would be $375 for 13 weeks and under, and above that it’s more.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: We do procedures Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday by appointment. And everything’s included in that 375.
CALLER: I’m just kind of worried because my friend told me that — well, I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and she said that you guys would have to tell my parents about all this. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: You’re 13?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Let me ask the doctor. It’s up to him. Hold one second.
CALLER: Okay.
(Pause)
CLINIC: Are you there?
CALLER: I’m here.
CLINIC: You’re going to have to have a legal guardian with you since you’re 13.
CALLER: Oh, really?
CLINIC: Yeah.
CALLER: Well, is there any way not to have to tell my parents at all? I mean, they can’t find out.
CLINIC: Your parents can’t find out? By law, honey, you have to have a parent with you or a legal guardian.
CALLER: But I can’t tell them.
CLINIC: You can’t tell them?
CALLER: Is there anywhere else I could go?
CLINIC: No (chuckle). No one will let you —
(Talking to someone else) What’s the age, 16?
Yeah. You have to be at least 16 by Florida state law unless you want to try another state.
CALLER: Oh. What other state should I go to?
CLINIC: (Talking to someone else) Do you know of any other states that don’t require that law?
Hold on. I’m going to try to find out for you, okay?
CALLER: All right.
(Short pause)
CLINIC: Hi. This is Alisa (ph). Can I help you?
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was just really confused. And I was talking to someone about if my parents had to find out I was getting an abortion.
CLINIC: Okay. What is your age?
CALLER: I’m 13. I’ll be 14 on the 19th.
CLINIC: Yes. You do have to have parental consent at that age. There’s no one in the state of Florida that’s going to do a procedure on a patient that’s only 13 or 14 or even 15 without parental consent.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: That’s the law. Yeah, there’s no way.
CALLER: Well, the other lady was looking to see if there was another state I could go to.
CLINIC: Without parental consent? No, not at the age of 13. You have to have parental consent at that age.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: You can’t tell your parents?
CALLER: No, not at all. I mean, they know my boyfriend. He works with my dad, and they know we’re going out. They just don’t know we’re having sex. I mean, they can’t find out. If they knew that we were having sex, I don’t know what they would do.
CLINIC: Oh, okay. How old is your boyfriend?
CALLER: Twenty-two.
CLINIC: Oh. Yeah, that’s definitely an age gap there.
CALLER: Yeah. Well —
CLINIC: Go ahead.
CALLER: Well, I haven’t had a pregnancy test yet. Could I come in there for that, and you guys wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: You can take a home test actually. They’re $10 usually if you buy one from the drug store.
CALLER: Are they usually right though?
CLINIC: Uh-huh. They’re usually 99 percent accurate.
CALLER: Okay. Well, if it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant after I take that, could I come in there for birth control?
CLINIC: Yes. You would need parental consent for that though, because you’re only 13, yeah.
CALLER: Well, even after I’m 14 on the 19th?
CLINIC: No. You would still need parental consent.
CALLER: All right. Well, what should I do then?
CLINIC: Well, if you’re pregnant, you’re probably going to have to tell your parents because if you don’t, and if you continue with the pregnancy, with you being that age and your boyfriend being his age, they can throw him in jail.
CALLER: They can throw him in jail?
CLINIC: Oh, yeah. He can get thrown in jail.
CALLER: Why?
CLINIC: That’s statutory rape right there.
CALLER: But he’s not raping me. We’re in love. We’re going to get married. He said he was going to take care of me forever.
CLINIC: Yeah. But, sweetie, at 13 years old, you’re not old enough to consent to sex at 13.
CALLER: Why?
CLINIC: Because you’re only 13 years old and he’s 22. He’s an adult.
CALLER: Well, I’m almost 14.
CLINIC: It doesn’t matter. At 13 years old and he’s 22 years old, he’s an adult. They can throw him in jail for that.
CALLER: Well, he can’t go to jail. He’s the only one that’s ever there for me.
CLINIC: That’s something you need to talk over with your parents.
CALLER: But I can’t tell them. I mean, they don’t ever listen to me. They don’t understand anything.
CLINIC: Well, what are you going to tell them if you don’t have a termination and you continue with the pregnancy?
CALLER: I don’t know. That’s why I wasn’t wanting to — that’s why I was wanting an abortion.
CLINIC: (Pause) Okay. Yeah. But at that age you definitely have parental — you have to have a parent in the office with you.
CALLER: There’s no way not to have them there with me?
CLINIC: No. There’s no way. At 13 — I’ve already told you like five times — there’s no way.
CALLER: Okay. All right. Okay. Thanks
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Bye.
***END***