PLANNED PARENTHOOD
801 PLAZA DR. # C
MARTINSVILLE, IN 46151-3257
765-342-0126

TAPE – 346

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: Martinsville Planned Parenthood.

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

CLINIC: In this clinic, no.

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you know of anybody that does?

CLINIC: There’s a clinic in Bloomington and one in Indianapolis.

CALLER: Do you have the Bloomington phone number?

CLINIC: 1-800-828-7525.

CALLER: Okay. I’m just really scared because my last period was December 14th. And I don’t know if I am pregnant, but I don’t know what to do.

CLINIC: So your last period was when, honey?

CALLER: December 14th.

CLINIC: December 14th. Okay. What do you mean by you don’t know what to do?

CALLER: Well, I’m just scared.

CLINIC: You’re scared?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Have you had a pregnancy test anywhere?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay. We do pregnancy tests on a walk-in basis. What you need to do is you need to get a pregnancy test first, because there may be something else going on.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: You never know. Or it could be that you’re pregnant. But you need to find out if you’re pregnant how far along you are, because that can make a big difference.

CALLER: My friend told me that since I’ll be 14 in March that you guys have to tell my parents I’m getting an abortion. But my boyfriend’s 22.

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: Is he old enough to take care of that, and you won’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: You’re 13?

CALLER: How be 14 in March, yeah.

CLINIC: No. Because of your age it has to be a parent that’s when you.

CALLER: But my parents can’t find out at all. I don’t know what they would do if they found out.

CLINIC: Well, I understand that. But what you have to realize, in the state of Indiana at the age of 13 if you’re having sex, that is considered sexual abuse.

CALLER: But he’s not abusing me. We’re in love. We’re going to get married.

CLINIC: But what you don’t understand is this, in the state of Indiana it’s against the law.

CALLER: Well, what can I do then?

CLINIC: The one thing that you need to do is you need to be able to talk to your parents.

CALLER: But I can’t. They don’t ever understand anything.

CLINIC: I understand that. You might come in here and talk to my nurse practitioner in here and see, but —

CALLER: What’s her name?

CLINIC: Her name is Christy. In the state of Indiana it’s against the law for anyone to have an abortion under the age of 18 without a parent with them.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: Under the age of 18.

CALLER: Well, could I go anywhere else?

CLINIC: I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tell you about other state laws. I don’t know.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: If I did know, I couldn’t tell you that anyway. I’m not allowed to talk about other state laws as far as abortion’s concerned. I can only talk about the Indiana state laws. But in the state of Indiana, under the age of 14 if you have sex with anybody, even if that person is 14 years of age and you’re 13, that is considered sexual abuse, sexual assault on a minor. Even though it’s consensual, it’s still considered abuse. It’s against the law.

CALLER: Well, what could happen?

CLINIC: They could go to jail.

CALLER: Well, he can’t go to jail.

CLINIC: I’m just telling you that. I’m just letting you know that, okay? And if you’re talking about getting an abortion, the farthest along you can be is 12 weeks, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: So if you had a period — when did you say your last period was?

CALLER: December 14th.

CLINIC: That was the first day?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. Let me figure this up real fast. The first day of last period is December 14th, and today is January 20th. So that would make you, if you’re pregnant, around 10 weeks.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? But the whole thing is, he can’t go with you. Your parents have to show a drivers license, some form of i.d. stating who they are.

CALLER: Oh. Well, could he be there with me for the pregnancy test?

CLINIC: I don’t advise that, number one, because if the nurse practitioner knows that he is over the age of 16, she’s binded by law — or over the age of 14, she’s binded by law to report to the Welfare Department.

CALLER: So if he came in, you guys would have to get him arrested?

CLINIC: Well, we would have to report it to the Child Protected Services if he was here with you.

CALLER: Well, what should I do? He’d be the only way I could get there.

CLINIC: I’d just have him drop you off and come in and do the test, and then pick you back up.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: But to be honest with you, you’re going to have to one way or another tell your parents.

CALLER: But I can’t.

CLINIC: I understand that, that you feel like you can’t. But the whole thing is this. There is on clinic that’s going to perform anything you without one of your parents with you. It’s against the law for them to. So you’re going to have to either have a mother or a father with you. You can’t have a boyfriend, because they have to prove they’re your parents. And because of your age, they definitely have to be there because of how old you are.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: He’s 22 years old, and you’re 13. So he’s almost 10 years older than you, right?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. There’s a big age difference there. I would talk to my parents because that’s the only people that’s going to be able to help you, as far as being able if you are pregnant getting an abortion. Because he can’t. And if he tries to take you anywhere, then they can get him for all kinds of stuff. I mean, he can be arrested and thrown in jail for a long time. And that’s state law. If he tried to take you somewhere and get an abortion, that’s another form of abuse, like a sexual predator. You need to talk to your parents.

CALLER: All right. You’re so nice. I wish I could talk to my mom like I talk to you.

CLINIC: Well, sometimes moms though when you’re a teenager you fight with them. The first thing you need to do is you need to get a pregnancy test.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? So we’re here until 5:00 tonight and 5:00 tomorrow.

CALLER: Well, if I had any other questions, could I call and talk to you? What was your name?

CLINIC: My name’s Cindy.

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Thanks.

CLINIC: All righty.

CALLER: Bye.

CLINIC: Bye.

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