PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF RHODE ISLAND
111 POINT ST
PROVIDENCE, RI 2903
401-421-9620

TAPE – 797

(Dialing, phone ringing 2x)

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood. How can I help you?

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

CLINIC: Yeah, we do abortions here.

CALLER: How much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: If you’re under 12 weeks, and that’s counting from the first day of your last period, you have a choice between a local anesthetic or a general anesthetic. If you choose a local, you pay $340 and you’re awake for the procedure. If you choose a general, it’s $440, and you’re asleep for the procedure. If you’re over 12 weeks, we only go up to 15 weeks and 6 days, and it goes up to $700.

CALLER: Well, my last period was January 3rd.

CLINIC: We’d go by then.

CALLER: Okay. So how much would it be then?

CLINIC: Would you want to be awake or asleep?

CALLER: Which one’s better?

CLINIC: It depends. It’s totally a personal choice. But the one that you’re actually awake with a local anesthetic, we use like almost a novocaine into your vagina to numb your vagina. It’s a burning sensation. But for the seven or eight minutes of the actual procedure going on you feel cramping, mild to severe. They do give you Advil before going in. And you can have someone in the room with you if you choose the local. Some people prefer that. Other people prefer not to be aware. So it’s totally up to you.

Can you hold the line one second?

CALLER: Okay.

(Pause)

CLINIC: So if you’re January 3rd that would make you just over nine weeks. So you’d still be under 12 weeks, so you would have a choice. It’s definitely a personal choice. I don’t know what you would prefer. Do you know what I mean? Do you want to make an appointment or do you want to call me back? I could get you in for next week.

CALLER: Well, I actually have another question that I’m really concerned about. 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 wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: No. I didn’t realize you were just 14. No. You’re going to be 14 when? Next month?

CALLER: On the 19th of this month.

CLINIC: No. You need to have parental consent here in this state, or else you have to come in and meet a counselor. The two of you pick a date to go to court so that the judge will dismiss you for the day that you come in for an abortion so you can act as an adult. The other option is that you go to Connecticut. Does your boyfriend drive?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Would he be able to drive you to Connecticut?

CALLER: I think so.

CLINIC: Because I can give you numbers of clinics there, and you can call them up. You don’t have to be any particular age.

CALLER: Oh. Well, the thing is, I don’t want anybody to know about me and my boyfriend. Would it just be better to go through the court? Would you guys have to say anything about him?

CLINIC: No, no. And even in the — they wouldn’t in Connecticut either. It would all be confidential. So it would just be having him for support, but you wouldn’t have to tell anyone about it.

CALLER: I haven’t had a pregnancy test yet. Would I be able to come in there for that, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: Yeah. You can walk in here for a pregnancy test, no problem. I think that’s probably your better option, to come in, make sure that you’re pregnant. You can come in anytime. We’re open today until 4. It’s $17 for the pregnancy test.

CALLER: Well, my boyfriend said that he would pay for everything. We were talking about all this. He said that he would take care of it all, but we don’t want anyone to know about us. If he was paying for it, would he have to fill out any forms or anything?

CLINIC: Nope. Nope.

CALLER: Would his name be on anything?

CLINIC: How is he paying for it? Would he pay in cash?

CALLER: In cash, yeah.

CLINIC: If he gave you the $17, no.

CALLER: Okay. All right. Well, if it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant, do you guys do birth control there too?

CLINIC: Yep. And you know what your best bet is? Is to come in during our teen clinic.

CALLER: When is that?

CLINIC: Every Monday from 3:30 to 7:30. It’s walk-in appointments. So you just walk in anytime. Preferably come in an hour before 7:30, and you will get seen. And you can (unclear), and you don’t need any consent from parents or anything like that.

CALLER: So no one would have to know if I was on birth control too?

CLINIC: Nope.

CALLER: All right. And you’re sure nobody would have to know about my boyfriend?

CLINIC: Nope. As long as you don’t disclose that information.

CALLER: Okay. I just have so many questions. If I can think of anything else to ask you, could I call and talk to you? What was your name?

CLINIC: My name is Ellen. And if you can’t come in today for the pregnancy test, Monday is a good option to come in too. Do you think those times would suit you —

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: — between 3:30 and 7:30?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Because you’ll get a lot of information here. It’s just all teenagers, so you won’t meet any old fogies. The people that work here are really understanding. They can give you all the information you need. So if you wanted to hold off to do the pregnancy test then, it is cheaper. It’s like 10 or $15 compared to 17. But if you wanted to come in today before 4, you could do that as well. You know what I mean? It will be $17. Then you can take it from there. You could talk to someone about getting on birth control or you could talk to someone about an AB appointment. But I think your best bet might be going to Connecticut if it turns out that you need to go to court and stuff. It’s totally up to you; it’s your decision. But just know that you do need to — you have three weeks to play around, so you need to make the appointment within the next week if you decide to come here to meet a counselor and stuff, because they will want to get you in.

CALLER: Would they have the number for the places in Connecticut when I go to the teen clinic?

CLINIC: Yep. Or I can give you the number now if you just want to call and see what their story is.

CALLER: Well, I just want to find out if I’m pregnant first.

CLINIC: Why don’t you take that step first, and then we can give you the numbers at teen clinic, okay?

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: And call me if you have any questions. My name is Ellen. Okay?

CALLER: Okay. Thank you.

CLINIC: Take care.

CALLER: Bye.

CLINIC: Bye.

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