PLANNED PARENTHOOD
7424 GREENVILLE AVE. # 211
DALLAS, TX 75231-4534
214-373-1868
TAPE – 429
(dialing sounds) (ringing 2X)
CLINIC: Good morning. Planned Parenthood. This is Lisa. May I help you?
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was wondering if you guys do abortions there?
CLINIC: Yes, we do.
CALLER: You do?
CLINIC: Uh-huh.
CALLER: Well, how much does that cost?
CLINIC: Well, it depends on far along you are. What was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?
CALLER: I think it was like December 21st.
CLINIC: Okay, then that would put you right now at almost 10 weeks into your pregnancy. If you go over 11 and a half it’s when our price change. So right now you would be $295.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Over 11 1/2 weeks would put you at $325.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: So our next available appointment day is this Thursday.
CALLER: Okay. Well —
CLINIC: Did you want to set up an appointment?
CALLER: Well, I don’t know. I’m just really worried because like — well, I’m going to be 14 in March, and my friend said that you guys would have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22. Could he just sign whatever it is and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: Is he your legal guardian?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: So then the answer would be that either we tell your parents or you go for what’s called a judicial bypass. Now judicial bypass can take a couple of weeks.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: But by state laws, your boyfriend is committing what’s called statutory rape.
CALLER: What is that? I mean, he’s not raping me. We’re in love. We’re going to get married.
CLINIC: Right. I understand. I understand. But anybody who is an adult, a legal adult, should not be having intercourse with a child, which is what you are legally.
CALLER: Uh-huh.
CLINIC: You’re not even out of teenage status yet.
CALLER: Well, what could happen?
CLINIC: What could happen is, is that your parents could press charges and he could serve some jail time.
CALLER: He could go to jail?
CLINIC: Uh-huh.
CALLER: Well, he can’t go to jail. I mean, he’s the only one that’s there for me. I don’t — he can’t —
CLINIC: I’m not saying that he will. I’m not saying that your parents will file statutory rape charges, but they do have the right to. He really is too old for a 13-year-old.
CALLER: Oh. Well, could I come —
CLINIC: A 22-year-old should not be having intercourse with a 13-year-old, and he should know better.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: It’s against the law because it’s been decided by the law that you are not old enough to make these decisions on your own.
CALLER: Oh. Well, could I come in there for a pregnancy test though?
CLINIC: Well, I mean, if you know you’re already about 10 weeks into your pregnancy, what’s your issue?
CALLER: I’m just — I just don’t know. I just want to find out if I really am pregnant.
CLINIC: Have you been missing periods?
CALLER: Well, yeah.
CLINIC: Well, that’s usually the indication that you’re pregnant.
CALLER: So I couldn’t come in there for a pregnancy test?
CLINIC: Well, no. I mean, there’s no need to. If you’re missing periods and you’ve been missing them since December, then you’re pregnant.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: Did you have protected intercourse?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Well, there’s the other clue. That’s your second big clue.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: No protected intercourse, no periods, equals pregnancy.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Now see, these would be areas where a judge would say, you should have been talking to your parents. What’s the issue with your parents? What’s going on with them?
CALLER: They just don’t ever listen to me. I mean, they don’t understand me at all. They just — I don’t know. They’re just — they don’t ever understand anything.
CLINIC: Do they speak a different language or something?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: They’re American and you’re American?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Well, you should be able to talk to your parents about stuff like this. Do they beat you?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Have they withheld food from you?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Have they withheld shelter or clothing?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Well, what have they done to indicate to you that you can’t speak to them?
CALLER: Well, it’s — they’re just, they’re just going to be — I don’t know what they– they would just be furious if I told them that I was having sex with —
CLINIC: Well, let’s put you in their shoes for a second. Let’s say that you have a 13-year-old daughter who’s having intercourse with an adult and turns out to be pregnant. How would you feel?
CALLER: I don’t know.
CLINIC: Well, that’s how your parents are going to be. They’re probably not going to react at first either. They’re probably not going to understand how this happened to their child.
CALLER: But —
CLINIC: They’re probably going to wonder how come it is that you didn’t know that you could get pregnant if you were having unprotected intercourse.
CALLER: Well, what can I do? I don’t know what to do. I’m scared.
CLINIC: Well, you need to talk to your parents.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: You’re going to have to do it. You’re just going to have to do it. This is really serious. If you don’t talk to them right away, pretty soon here you’re not going to be able to get an abortion at all, and you’re going to be a 13-year-old mother.
CALLER: But if — well, if I get an abortion could I get birth control though?
CLINIC: Yeah, but you’re going to have to get to that point. I mean, you know, let’s cross that bridge when we reach it. The first thing you got to do is figure out how you’re going to talk to your parents about this.
CALLER: Well, is there any —
CLINIC: Do they know that you’re dating a 22-year-old man?
CALLER: Yeah, they know. They just don’t like him.
CLINIC: Well, they’re not going to like this. Why wasn’t he using protection? He’s the adult. You’re the child. He should have known better.
CALLER: I don’t know.
CLINIC: Why wasn’t he using a condom?
CALLER: I don’t know.
CLINIC: Did you ask him to?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Well, he should have been more responsible. I mean, he’s an adult. You’re not. He should know these things. He’s probably been around a lot longer than you have.
CALLER: Well, he said he loves me and —
CLINIC: He’s probably had more than one girlfriend in his life.
CALLER: Well, I don’t– but he said he loves me and that we’re going to get married and he’s going to take care of me forever.
CLINIC: Well, then you all go ahead and do that. But you’re still going to have to get approval from your parents for that too. In the state of Texas you can’t get married without your parents’ approving of it if you’re under 17 years old. And I doubt very seriously a judge would approve of a 13-year-old getting married at this point.
CALLER: Well, could I go to Oklahoma or anything?
CLINIC: No. Not to get married.
CALLER: Well, like to get an abortion?
CLINIC: We live in America. We don’t let little kids have marriages.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: Do you know any little kids your age that are married?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Well, there’s a good reason for that.
CALLER: But — I mean, we weren’t going to get married right away. That’s why we were wanting to get an abortion because like we can’t get married until later. But we don’t want to have a kid right now.
CLINIC: Well, I can understand. I didn’t want to have a kid when I was 13 either. But you’re too — you’re probably too far along to go before a judge, and I really don’t think a judge would sign off on this anyway. The judge would want to drag your boyfriend off and toss him into jail.
CALLER: Well, is there any other place I could go?
CLINIC: No.
CALLER: Really? All right.
CLINIC: I mean, this is a state law, and there’s a good reason for this law. I mean, you know, I’m sorry but you’re 13. You know?
CALLER: Well, I’ll be 14 in March.
CLINIC: Yeah, but you’re still a minor. Are you allowed to vote yet?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Are you legally allowed to drink?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Would you legally be allowed to join the Army?
CALLER: Well, I don’t know. I don’t think so.
CLINIC: Well, then there’s reasons for this. It’s cause you’re a kid. You’re still a kid. Kids don’t make the greatest — they don’t make the greatest choices in their life. And one choice right now that you made that’s not working out for you is having unprotected intercourse. You needed more information and you didn’t have it, and it’s very rare that kids your age do have it.
CALLER: Hmm. Well, could I get birth control then?
CLINIC: You don’t need birth control. You’re pregnant.
CALLER: Well, after. After that.
CLINIC: Yeah, but you’ll still have to have your parents involved in that up until you’re 17 years old. You got a ways to go for that. Now they’re probably going to want to put you on birth control to keep this from happening again.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: But you’re going to have to tell them about this,a nd you need to do it right away. If you wait too much longer you’re going to be too far along to get anything done. Like I said, then you’ll be a 13-year-old mother.
CALLER: All right.
CLINIC: And your boyfriend will not be able to slip out of this one. By state law, he will be responsible.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: That means child support.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: You need to talk to him too. And I would —
CALLER: That’s all we’ve been talking about lately.
CLINIC: Well, the two of you together need to talk to your parents. It doesn’t matter if they don’t like him. The two of you need to go to your parents and fess up about this whole thing. You need to do it right away. Now, he’s the adult, so he needs to act like one. All right?
CALLER: All right. Well, if I had any other questions, could I call and talk to you?
CLINIC: Sure.
CALLER: What was your name?
CLINIC: My name’s Lisa.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Good luck. This is going to be a hard time for you, but as soon as you start doing things that are adult things like this, that’s when you can pretty much leave childhood behind. You’re going to have to start being very responsible, and one of the big things you’re going to have to do first is talk to your parents.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Just put yourself in their shoes. They’re going to probably be mad at first. They’re probably going to be hopping mad.
CALLER: No kidding.
CLINIC: But then once they get beyond that, they’re going to want to do what’s best for you because it sounds like to me up until this point your parents have been taking care of you. They love you. They just don’t want anything bad to happen to you. And they don’t want you to stop being a child so early I bet. So — but that’s done. It’s all over now.
CALLER: All right.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Okay. Thanks.
CLINIC: Okay. Bye bye.
(phone clicks)
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