AUSTIN COMMON HEALTH CENTER
AUSTIN, TX 78753
512-835-6403

TAPE – 837

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: Ladies Center. This is Sheila.

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

CLINIC: Yes, we do.

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

CLINIC: Up to 12 weeks of pregnancy the fee is $425.

CALLER: Okay. Well, how do you know how many weeks you are?

CLINIC: You count the weeks from the first day of your last period.

CALLER: Oh. Well, that was January 15th.

CLINIC: So you’re in your first trimester. You’re under 12 weeks, and the fee is 425.

CALLER: All right. I’m just kind of worried. My boyfriend and I were talking about all this, and he said he would pay for everything. Well, 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. Could he just take care of it all, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: No. The law in Texas has changed over the last year. If you’re under 18, you have to have parental notification or you could go before a judge and get a judicial bypass.

CALLER: How do you do that?

CLINIC: I can give you a phone number, and you can call and see about doing that. You’re going to call Sidney Childress (sp). And the phone number is 707-1985. Tell them that you’re under 18, and you’re trying to get a termination without your parent’s acknowledgement.

CALLER: Well, how much does it cost for all that?

CLINIC: I don’t think it’s very expensive at all. There’s a simple procedure. And see if they can help you.

CALLER: Well, do they usually say it’s okay?

CLINIC: We have many young girls come in here who’ve gone before a judge. The judge says that you’re able to make this decision on your own without your parents’ knowledge.

CALLER: Okay. Me and my boyfriend and I were talking about all this, and he said that he would pay cash for everything. But he doesn’t want anyone to know about us. Would he have to put his name on anything, any papers or forms or anything?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: Okay. Would you guys do a pregnancy test beforehand just to make sure that I was pregnant?

CLINIC: Uh-huh.

CALLER: Okay. Because I haven’t done one yet.

CLINIC: What you need to do is call and talk to the attorney and see about getting the judicial bypass and call me back. If we can help you, we’ll schedule you for your appointment. Okay?

CALLER: Well, could I come in for a pregnancy test beforehand just to make sure?

CLINIC: You can come anytime between — you can come tomorrow, Thursday between 9:30 and 4. We’ll have someone here to do that for you.

CALLER: How much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: Your period was January 15th, you said?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: It’s a free test.

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

CLINIC: You’d have to make an appointment to get a yearly check-up and pap smear. There’s a $50 fee. And then we would prescribe the birth control pill for you.

CALLER: But would you have to tell anybody if I was on birth control though?

CLINIC: Nope.

CALLER: All right. It’s just really important to me and my boyfriend that nobody knows. So you’re sure no one would have to know?

CLINIC: Our clinic is completely confidential. We’re not allowed to give out any information.

CALLER: All right. Well, let me talk to the lawyer people and then call you back.

CLINIC: Okay, honey.

CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

***END***

AUSTIN WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER
1902 S. I.H. 35
AUSTIN, TX 78704
512-443-2888

TAPE – 838

(Dialing, phone did not ring)

CLINIC: (Unclear) Women’s Health Center. This is Veronica. How may I help you?

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

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am.

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

CLINIC: Do you know where you’re at in the pregnancy?

CALLER: No. How do you know?

CLINIC: Do you know the first day of your last period?

CALLER: January 15th.

CLINIC: January 15th is the first day of your last period?

CALLER: I didn’t hear what you said.

CLINIC: January 15th was the first day of your last period?

CALLER: Yes.

CLINIC: Okay. I could estimate that you are around seven to eight weeks.

CALLER: What?

CLINIC: I can estimate that you could be seven to eight weeks pregnant. If you’re under 12 weeks in your pregnancy, the cost would be 425.

CALLER: 425?

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am. Also, if you have a negative blood type, it’s going to be an extra $50 because we have to give you a medication called Rhogam.

CALLER: I’m just kind of worried. My boyfriend said that he would pay cash for everything. But I’m just worried because 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, and he said he would take care of it all. Would that be okay, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: How old are you?

CALLER: I’m going to be 14 on the 19th.

CLINIC: And you don’t want to tell your parents?

CALLER: I can’t tell my parents.

CLINIC: And your boyfriend’s how old?

CALLER: Twenty-two.

CLINIC: Well, there are a few options if you don’t want to tell your parents. You can get a judicial bypass.

CALLER: What is that?

CLINIC: Hold on just a moment.

(Pause)

RECORDING: — calling. We apologize for placing you on hold. We know that your time is valuable and hope to be with you shortly.

(Pause)

CLINIC: Thank you for holding. This is Amy. How can I help you?

CALLER: Hi. Are you who I was talking to before?

CLINIC: No. Was somebody already helping you?

CALLER: Yeah, I was talking to Veronica.

CLINIC: Okay. I’m sorry. Hold on one moment.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Thanks for holding. This is Kit (sp). Veronica tells me that you are wanting to know about judicial bypass. Is that right?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Yeah. Okay. What I can tell you is — do you have any questions about the actual law in Texas? Do you understand about that a little bit?

CALLER: I just don’t want to tell my parents.

CLINIC: Okay. That’s fine. You don’t need to. The law does protect you from needing to tell your parents. What is required by the state of Texas is that your parents are informed; they don’t need to give consent. And if you want to bypass that, the state is required to give you a free lawyer who represents you at a local court.

Do you live in Travis County or do you live in a different county?

CALLER: I live in Austin.

CLINIC: You live in Austin. Okay. So you live in Travis County. There’s an organization called Jane’s Due Process. Have you heard about them?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: What they do is they specifically are set up to help young women like you to find the representation that you deserve and need. Okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: So you don’t need to pay anything. And it happens pretty fast. I’m going to give you their number, and they’ll set you up with what is called a — you don’t need to write it down or anything, but just so when you hear this name, and you’re like, oh, yeah, Kit told me about that at the clinic. It’s called a “guardian litem.” And it’s like a fancy Latin word, for basically meaning someone who represents you in court. And when you go to court it’s a really brief visit. But the guardian litem is going to be there to sort of walk you through it and kind of hold your hand. Okay?

CALLER: Well, would the judge say that it’s okay then?

CLINIC: Uh-huh, yeah. You just have to answer some questions and have an appointment set up with us and stuff like that. Sometimes they’ll recommend that you had come in and visit with us first before you go meet with a judge so that you understand about the procedure and everything. So we can set up an appointment for you for what we can a pre-operative visit, where you get your ultra sound and your lab work and your counseling. And then you’ll be all informed and know what to expect and everything. And then in the next day, you would go and meet with your guardian litem, and then you get some paperwork done. And then you come back to us like the following day. So it all happens within a 24 to 48-hour period.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Are you in high school or are you out of school?

CALLER: I’m homeschooled.

CLINIC: Okay. And how old are you?

CALLER: I’m going to be 14 on the 19th.

CLINIC: Okay. What I can do —

CALLER: My boyfriend and me were talking about all this. And he said he would pay cash for everything. But we don’t want anyone to know about us. Would he have to sign anything or fill out any forms if he was paying for it all?

CLINIC: No, uh-uh. No. If you’re paying cash, we just give you a receipt for yourself. But there would be no way — no one would ever be able to find out that you were there is simply what I’m telling you.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Yeah. We don’t give that information out to any other people or company, and no one like your parents or anybody would be able to find out that you had come here.

CALLER: Well, I haven’t had a pregnancy test yet. Would you guys do that beforehand just to make sure I am pregnant?

CLINIC: Yeah. I would recommend that. Are you feeling like you’re pregnant? Do you know —

CALLER: Well, I just haven’t had my period since January 15th, and we’re just both really scared.

CLINIC: Yeah. Okay. Well, what I can tell you is that we offer free pregnancy tests here. So if you want to come in and get a pregnancy test, you can do that for free.

CALLER: Well, how late are you guys there, like tomorrow?

CLINIC: Tomorrow you could come in any time until probably about 5:00 for a pregnancy test. I’m going to give you Jane’s Due Process’ information, so you can call them.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Have you taken a pregnancy — do you have access to getting to the pharmacy and getting a pregnancy test?

CALLER: Well, my boyfriend could — yeah.

CLINIC: Do that for you? Okay.

CALLER: But are those usually right though?

CLINIC: Yeah, they’re usually really right. Usually if it’s going to come back positive, like on an EPT test, it’s going to be correct.

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

CLINIC: Yeah, definitely. Uh-huh. We’ll set up an appointment for an annual exam. Have you had a pap smear, an annual exam?

CALLER: No. How much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: It’s between 75 and $125.

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

CLINIC: Nope. Nobody would have to know.

I’m going to give you their 866 number.

CALLER: Just so that I understand, you’re sure no one would have to know about any of this?

CLINIC: Nobody has to know about any of this.

CALLER: They wouldn’t have to know about me and my boyfriend either?

CLINIC: No, they don’t need to know about you and your boyfriend.

CALLER: Okay. Well, what was the number?

CLINIC: Yeah. It’s 1-866-999-5263.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: And you call them, and they can start getting you in the process. And I would recommend — you could set up an appointment with me, if you’d like — with us — to have your pre-operative visit with us. In that visit, the first thing we’ll do is do a pregnancy test.

CALLER: Okay. Well, let me call my boyfriend to see what time is good for him, and then call you back. Is that all right?

CLINIC: Okay. Let me tell you the fees to let him know that the cost of a pre-operative visit with us is $180. The cost of the abortion is $425 if you’re under 12 weeks of pregnancy. The 180 is subtracted from the 425. So when you come back, it’s like 245.

CALLER: Oh, all right.

CLINIC: Just so you have that, so you can tell him about that. Then you can give us a call back when you’re ready.

CALLER: Okay. Thank you.

CLINIC: You’re welcome.

CALLER: Bye.

CLINIC: Bye.

***END***

REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES OF AUSTIN
4804 GROVER RD.
AUSTIN, TX 78756
512-458-8274

TAPE – 792

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: Reproductive Services. Can you hold please?

CALLER: Well, do you guys do abortions there?

CLINIC: Yeah, we do.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay. Hold on.

(Short pause)

CLINIC: — holding. How can I help you?

CALLER: Yeah. I was wanting to see how much it cost to get an abortion.

CLINIC: Okay. For a first trimester abortion it is $425.

CALLER: How do you know if you’re —

CLINIC: That is through the 13th week of the pregnancy. So 13 weeks from the first day of your last period.

CALLER: Oh. Well, that was January 3rd.

CLINIC: Okay. Well then, that is within the first trimester. It’s $425. There are some additional costs for medications that are required after the procedure as well as optional medications that you may choose to take during the procedure.

CALLER: Okay. My main concern is I’m worried. 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 it, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: Actually, there’s a couple things — yeah. Because you are under 14 years old, we would have to notify your parents before the procedure. There’s a couple ways we can do that. Now, if you do not want your parents notified, you can go through a process called judicial bypass.

CALLER: How does that work?

CLINIC: Why don’t you hold on one second, and I’m going to have you speak to either Dorothy or Sarah. And they’re the people here that work with women who are under 18 years old.

CALLER: What was your name?

CLINIC: My name is Linda. And I’ll have Dorothy or Sarah be with you in just one moment, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Thank you.

CLINIC: Hi. This is Dorothy.

CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was wondering about getting a judicial bypass. I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend told me that you have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: No. Because he’s not a legal guardian of yours, he actually can’t have any say as far as with the procedure. But you don’t plan on telling your parents?

CALLER: Right. They can’t find out at all.

CLINIC: Okay. What you think will kind of go on if they do?

CALLER: I don’t know. They’d be furious. I mean, they know my boyfriend and they know we’re going out. He works with my dad, but they don’t like him because they think he’s too old for me. But they know him, and they know we’re going out. But they don’t know we’re having sex. I mean, if they knew about that, I don’t know what they would do. I mean, they’d be furious. They can’t find out at all.

CLINIC: Okay. Well, we can go through the judicial bypass. And that’s basically where you go to see a judge.

CALLER: I’ve never seen a judge before.

CLINIC: Yeah. I know. And it’s kind of scary too for girls who’ve never had to go through that. Do you live in Austin?

CALLER: I live in Round Rock.

CLINIC: In Round Rock? Okay. Well, most likely you’ll come to court here, and your attorney will help you do everything. And most of the girls that we see in Travis County, which is in the Austin area, haven’t been turned down.

CALLER: How much does it cost for an attorney?

CLINIC: It’s not going to be any cost to you.

CALLER: Oh, okay,

CLINIC: Yeah, whatsoever. All we need you to do is — do you have like a way that you can get around and stuff like that?

CALLER: Well, my boyfriend drives me.

CLINIC: If you guys come visit our clinic at a time that’s good for you, I can give you all the papers that you would need to come see the judge along with the list of attorneys and get you set up for all that if that’s what you want to do.

CALLER: Are you guys open tomorrow?

CLINIC: Uh-huh.

CALLER: What time?

CLINIC: We can either see about going that route with the judicial bypass or you can provide me with a phone number or address to contact your parents by phone or by certified letter. So however you want to do it.

CALLER: Well, I can’t talk to them. I don’t want you to contact them.

CLINIC: Right, right. Do you want to do the judicial bypass?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: What time do you think you can come in tomorrow?

CALLER: When are you guys open?

CLINIC: I’ll be here from about 9 ’til probably 4:30.

CALLER: Okay. Will you be there during lunch ?

CLINIC: Oh, of course.

CALLER: Okay. So I could come like on my boyfriend’s lunch break or whatever?

CLINIC: Yeah, you could do that. Are you in school or anything?

CALLER: Well, I’m homeschooled.

CLINIC: You’re homeschooled? Okay. What’s your first name?

CALLER: Lisa.

CLINIC: Lisa?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: What’s your last name, Lisa?

CALLER: Carter.

CLINIC: So when you come in what we’re going to do is I’m going to give you what we call a minor packet. That’s where it lists — we’re going to kind of sit down and talk about it, so you might be here for about 15 minutes, okay?

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: We’re going to kind of sit down and talk about what’s in the papers, what the judge might talk to you about, and have you watch a short film. Nothing scary or graphic that would freak you out whatsoever; it’s just an informative film, okay?

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: But as far as going through with the abortion procedure, that’s definitely what you want to do?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Yeah?

CALLER: Me and my boyfriend, that’s all we talk about now. But he’s a great guy, and we’re going to be married soon. But he has to finish school and stuff. So we just can’t have a kid until after that. So that’s we were wanting to get an abortion, because we can’t have a kid right now.

CLINIC: And when did you say you were turning 19th?

CALLER: On the 19th.

CLINIC: On the 19th of this month?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Do you know about how far along you are?

CALLER: Well, not really. My last period was January 3rd.

CLINIC: Okay. Well, when you come in, we can also do a sonogram, okay? And the cost for the sonogram is going to be $25. When you come back to us for the actual procedure, we’ll deduct the cost from the procedure. So we can do all of that tomorrow when you come in.

CALLER: Well, if my boyfriend was paying for all this — like he said he would pay cash for everything, it’s just we don’t want anyone to know about us — would he have to sign anything or have his name on any of the forms?

CLINIC: No. He would not have to sign or have his name on any of the forms whatsoever. I’m going to have you hold just one moment so I can get some information from you, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

(Very short pause)

CLINIC: Okay, Lisa. Now one thing that we do need to look at– in the state of Texas, if you are 13 years old and you are pregnant, that has to be reported.

CALLER: What do you mean?

CLINIC: It has to be reported to Child Protective Services.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Well, what could happen?

CLINIC: But if you come in — because you’re about to be 14, so that law will change. But when you come in, we will also have to make a report because your partner is over three years older than you.

CALLER: Well, I can’t do that. What would happen?

CLINIC: But the thing is, you’re not required to give us any information, okay? You don’t have to tell me his name. You don’t have to tell me where he lives, a phone number. I don’t have to know anything. Then it won’t be on anything.

CALLER: So you’re sure that I don’t have to tell you that?

CLINIC: I can ask you a hundred times, and you can not tell me a hundred times. But by law we do have to find that out.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay. But you don’t have to tell me, so don’t worry about that. I’m just trying to let you know the law, okay? And we do this all the time. We just try to explain it to you so that you understand, but you don’t have to tell us anything, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: So all we’re going to do tomorrow is have you come in — and it’s fine if he comes with you. I mean, we’re not going to ask him anything. We’ll let you sit with him. Don’t worry about it. He can go through the ultra sound with you if you want him to. But we’re not going to ask him for i.d. or anything else, okay?

Tomorrow what we’ll do is we’ll have you come in. You’ll pay the $25 to have your ultra sound done because you’ll need it to take to court with you. And then I’ll give you all the papers and numbers for some attorneys that you can call, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: You said your last menstrual period was when?

CALLER: January 3rd. But the attorneys wouldn’t say anything about my boyfriend either?

CLINIC: They shouldn’t. Again, you’re a minor, so you don’t have to give any information to the law. Because being a minor, you’re considered kind of like a Jane Doe. Nobody can know your name or any of that type of stuff. I mean, your attorney will and we will here at the clinic, but when it comes to the judge and everything else — at this point, any information about your boyfriend I would just leave alone.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: As far as letting people know his age and things like that. He’s just your boyfriend, and then leave it at that. Okay?

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you think it’s possible that I’m not pregnant though? I mean, I haven’t had a pregnancy test yet.

CLINIC: Well, we can do that here.

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: How long does it take for that?

CLINIC: If you want to do it as soon as you walk in, we can do it — it will take like five minutes for us to run. It won’t be long at all.

CALLER: And I would know right away?

CLINIC: Uh-huh. We would tell you right then. And if we do get a positive, we’ll go ahead and continue with the sonogram and all the paperwork. If we get a negative, then we’ll just stop everything right there.

CALLER: Well, could I get birth control if I wasn’t pregnant?

CLINIC: You wouldn’t be able to get it that day, but we could go over it with you and make an appointment for you if that’s what you wanted to do. We can definitely leave you with some condoms at least to get started on though.

CALLER: How much does it cost for birth control after I make an appointment or whatever?

CLINIC: Well, we have to do your pap smear. So in order for us to do your pap smear, if you’ve never been here before, it’s going to be $96.

CALLER: Well, it’s just me and my boyfriend don’t want to have to go through all this again.

CLINIC: Exactly. That’s definitely understandable. But, yeah. Once you get here, I’ll give you all this information, and we can kind of figure it out from there, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: What year were you born in?

CALLER: 1988. Let me call my boyfriend real quick, and I’ll call you back. Is that all right?

CLINIC: Yeah, that’s no problem. But even if you don’t get a chance to come back, I’m going to see you — what time would be best for you to come in tomorrow?

CALLER: Probably first thing. But I have to call my boyfriend to make sure it’s okay with him because he’s the one that would take me.

CLINIC: Okay. Then just call me back. And, Lisa, again, my name is Dorothy, okay?

CALLER: But could I go like at lunch time you think maybe?

CLINIC: Yeah, that should be fine. Okay?

CALLER: All right. Let me talk to him. All right.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

CLINIC: Uh-huh. Bye.

CALLER: Bye.

***END***

AUSTIN OB-GYN
9805 ANDERSON MILL RD.
AUSTIN, TX 78750
512-250-1005

TAPE – 793

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: (Unclear).

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

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: How much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: For 12 weeks or less it’s $410.

CALLER: I can barely hear you. What did you say?

CLINIC: For 12 weeks or less it’s 410.

CALLER: How do you know how many weeks you are?

CLINIC: You have to count from the first day of your last period.

CALLER: Okay. Well, that was January 3rd.

CLINIC: Okay. How that puts you at nine weeks.

CALLER: The thing is I’m kind of worried. 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 it, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: No. At this office one parent has to come with you.

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: That’s Texas law. If you’re less than 18, one parent has to be notified.

CALLER: Oh. Well, I can’t tell my parents. I mean, they can’t find out at all. Is there anything I can do that they won’t have to find out?

CLINIC: Well, maybe if you call one of the other abortions clinics. At this office we do not accept the judicial bypass. You have to have a parent with you. But if you call one of the other clinics maybe they can help you.

CALLER: Well, I haven’t had a pregnancy test yet. Would I be able to come to you guys to get one of those?

CLINIC: No. We don’t do pregnancy tests. You can do home tests or you can go to Planned Parenthood or one of the other abortion clinics and see if they can offer pregnancy tests.

CALLER: All right. Okay. Thank you.

CLINIC: Um-hmm.

CALLER: Bye.

***END***