REPRODUCTIVE SERVICES OF HARLINGEN
613 W. SESAME DR.
HARLINGEN, TX 78550
956-428-6253

TAPE – 795

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: Thanks for calling Adoption (unclear). This is Susan.

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

CLINIC: For what city, ma’am?

CALLER: For Raymondville.

CLINIC: Would you be going to Austin, El Paso, Arlington or San Antonio?

CALLER: The one in Arlington.

CLINIC: Okay. I can give you the clinic number.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: It’s 956-428-6242.

CALLER: Okay. And who is this here?

CLINIC: This is the central office. We’re located in San Antonio.

CALLER: Oh, all right.

CLINIC: You need the 800 number for the clinic?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: All right. Okay. Thank you.

CLINIC: Bye bye.

(Dialing, phone ringing 5x)

CLINIC: Reproductive Services. This is Laura.

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

CLINIC: Um-hmm.

CALLER: How much does it cost for that?

CLINIC: It depends on how far along you are.

CALLER: Well, how do you know how far along you are?

CLINIC: Do you know when your last period was?

CALLER: January 3rd.

CLINIC: Okay. According to your last period you’re about nine weeks. So the price for everything — your medication, the procedure, and if you want the anesthesia, is $377.

CALLER: Okay. The thing is, I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend said 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. You’d have to — the only other way that you can do it is if you go to the court and get a judicial bypass.

CALLER: Okay. What is that?

CLINIC: Where are you from?

CALLER: I’m from Raymondville.

CLINIC: Are you Wallacy County?

CALLER: I’m not really sure. We just moved here.

CLINIC: Then you would need to go to — I wouldn’t even know what courthouse that is. Do you know where we at?

CALLER: Well, my boyfriend does.

CLINIC: Okay. What you can do is you can come here to our clinic and just pick up a packet. And you go ahead and ask them here. I don’t know which court you would need to go to, but that way you can already have the packet with you. Pick up the packet here, and then ask them what court you would need to call. You just set up an appointment or you can just show up with our papers already. And tell them that you need to set up an appointment with a judge to get a judicial bypass because you don’t want your parents to find out for whatever reason. And they’ll let you speak with a judge. And basically he’s going to ask you if you know your options. Tell him yes; that you can continue with it, have an abortion, or give it up for adoption; that you’re just not ready to have a child yet, so you prefer to have the procedure done here with us. And he’ll say whether he’ll let you — he’ll say yes or no. And if he tells you know, I’m not going to allow this, then you just set up another point to take you to another judge, and that judge usually always says yes.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: But most of the time the judge will tell you yes the first time as long as you do know what you’re talking about and that he sees that you’re adult enough to make the decision, and nobody has to know anything. And you don’t pay anything.

CALLER: So it doesn’t cost anything for all that?

CLINIC: Right.

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: Like I said, just have your boyfriend bring you in here to get the packet and ask them here what courthouse you need to go to. And then just go ahead and go over there. But I think you have to be there before a certain time. I think it’s before 4 or something like that.

CALLER: Okay. Would you guys do a pregnancy test while I was there just to make sure?

CLINIC: Yeah. If you —

CALLER: Because I haven’t had one yet.

CLINIC: Uh-huh. Go ahead and let them know that since you’re here you want to go ahead and have a pregnancy test to make sure.

CALLER: Well, me and my boyfriend were talking about all this, and we don’t want anybody to know. But he said he was going to pay cash for everything. Would he have to sign his name on any forms or anything?

CLINIC: No, not at all. If you put him down — if you put him down here like as an emergency, nobody calls him or nobody anything. How can I say? Your chart doesn’t get into anybody’s hands. The only thing is, since he is already 22 and you’re only 14, by law we have to report him to the police.

CALLER: Why?

CLINIC: I’m going to go ahead and tell you that before you come in. So you don’t even have to mention anything as far as here. You know what I’m saying?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: If you just go ahead and say that he’s 16 or whatever, because they will ask you. And we’ll take your word for it. We don’t go see who he is; you know what I’m saying?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: If you say he’s 16, then he’s 16 and that’s it. But by law we have to ask because that’s statutory rape, so we have to report it.

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

CLINIC: Oh, no, I know. But by law, if he’s three years older than you and you’re a minor, that’s what it is and we have to report it. So just to let you know when you come in, because I don’t want you — if they ask you anything, just go ahead and say (unclear).

CALLER: So if I don’t tell you, it would be okay then?

CLINIC: Oh, yeah. A lot of them come in and they say, oh, no, he’s only this or he’s only that because of that.

CALLER: After the pregnancy test that I got, if it said that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control from you guys?

CLINIC: You would need to come in first for a pap smear, set up an appointment for a pap smear, and then we can prescribe you the birth control.

CALLER: How much does it cost for the —

CLINIC: For the pap it’s $50.

CALLER: And you wouldn’t have to tell anybody if I was on birth control?

CLINIC: No, not at all. We don’t give any information to anyone at all, not even if your parents call or even if your boyfriend calls. We can’t give any information to anybody except for you.

CALLER: Oh, all right. Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? But don’t worry about anything. Just come in, pick up the packet, take the pregnancy test, and remember, he’s 16 and that’s it, 16.

CALLER: Okay. And you’re sure the judge will say yes?

CLINIC: Oh, yeah. Everybody who’s come in with it, he has said except only one time that he said no, because they supposedly have to say no every once in a while. And so she went back to another one, and he said yes. But it only takes a few minutes.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: All right. Thank you.

CLINIC: Bye bye.

CALLER: Bye.

***END***

PLANNED PARENTHOOD
712 N. 77TH SUNSHINE STRIP
HARLINGEN, TX 78550
956-423-8584

TAPE – 467

(dialing sounds) (ringing 1X)

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood. How may I help you?

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

CLINIC: No, we don’t. We can refer you.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: I can give you the number where you can call.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: It’s called Reproductive Services, and the number there is 428-6242.

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you know if — well I’m just really worried because like I’m going to be 14 in March, and my friend told me that they would have to tell my parents.

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: But my boyfriend’s 22. Could he just sign whatever it is and they wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Uh-uh.

CALLER: Well, is there any way that my parents don’t have to find out?

CLINIC: I don’t think there’s a way to go around it.

CALLER: Really?

CLINIC: Uh-uh.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: No, because it’s just a new law that came out, and if you are a minor then, yeah, they would have to let your parents know. Or you can call them and see what they can do for you, how they can help you. They would know more about it.

CALLER: Well, it’s just I’m really worried about all this because like the main reason why is because I haven’t had my period since like December 21, and I’m just scared.

CLINIC: Have you had a pregnancy test done?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Then that would be the first thing for you to do.

CALLER: Could I come in there for that?

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: Okay. Well, would you have to tell my parents that I was there for that?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: No?

CLINIC: Uh-uh.

CALLER: It’s just — me and my boyfriend were talking and he said he was going to pay for it, so is it– like is it all right if he was there with me?

CLINIC: Yeah. Can you hold on just a minute?

CALLER: Sure.

CLINIC: Let me let you talk to the manager. She can give you a lot more information on this. Okay?

CALLER: All right.

CLINIC: Hold on. (pause)

CLINIC: This is (Malinda?). May I help you?

CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was wanting to ask a couple questions about getting an abortion?

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am.

CALLER: Well, it’s just — well I’m going to be 14 in March, and my friend told me that they would have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22. Could he just — is he old enough to take care of it and they wouldn’t have to tell anybody about anything?

CLINIC: No. Not at all. As a matter of fact — what’s your name?

CALLER: It’s Christine.

CLINIC: Christine, as a matter of face, it’s against the law for a 22-year-old to have sex with a 14-year-old, so don’t even say that.

CALLER: What do you mean?

CLINIC: It’s against the law. A 22 cannot have sex with 14-year-old. That’s rape.

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

CLINIC: Right.

CALLER: What can I do?

CLINIC: Well, you’re 14. You had a pregnancy done already?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay, so you don’t really know that you are pregnant, right?

CALLER: Well, I just haven’t had my period since like December 21st.

CLINIC: So more than likely you are.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Okay. Have you been late with your period before?

CALLER: No, not really.

CLINIC: Okay. So you’ve been having sex and not using any protection?

CALLER: Right.

CLINIC: Right. Okay. Well, what they’re going to do is, you can go in and talk to them, you know, and call them on the phone and talk to them, but normally the parent has to sign for this.

CALLER: Oh. But my parents can’t find out at all. I mean, if they knew that we were having sex, I don’t know what they would do.

CLINIC: Right. They also have — they can waive this. You can go in there and talk to them and they can waive this, but in good — you would have to go in front of the judge and ask him, and go that way, you know, go around your parents by going to the judge and maybe he can waive this.

CALLER: Well, how much does all that cost? Like do I need a lawyer for that?

CLINIC: No. Uh-uh. No, you don’t need a lawyer. The termination itself is about — how far along though are you? It depends on how far along.

CALLER: I don’t know.

CLINIC: Okay. When was the first day of your last period?

CALLER: December 21st.

CLINIC: December 21st.

CALLER: That’s why I was wanting to come in and get a pregnancy test.

CLINIC: If you are pregnant, that’s going to put you —

CALLER: Do you know if it would be all right if my boyfriend came in with me to get a pregnancy test? He said that he was going to pay for everything.

CLINIC: When you come in — well, there’s no charge for the pregnancy test. But what happens, when you come in and you tell the girls that you’re 14 and he’s 22, that we will report this. We are going to report this to Child Protective Services.

CALLER: Oh. So what can I do then?

CLINIC: You can come in by yourself and have the pregnancy test done and don’t even — you know, don’t even say. But if, if you come and tell me then I need, my policy is I need to report this.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: I can’t do anything over the phone, but I can do it when you are here.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Let’s see. But that’s the law. Now February the 22nd you will be 9 weeks pregnant.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Oh, you were nine weeks pregnant already. So to terminate this pregnancy on March the 15th would be the last day to terminate this pregnancy. So you need to move on here, girl. You need to get in here so we can do a pregnancy test. You can go to any clinic you want to go and do a pregnancy test. Then talk to them and they will — then you would need to go to — the best thing to do would go — there’s some papers, some forms that we have that you need to fill out and take them to the Reproductive Services, and they can work with you on this.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Or just go into the Reproductive Services and have the pregnancy test done there, let them handle the paperwork and get you going as soon as possible.

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

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am. Um-hum.

CALLER: But would you have to tell anybody about that?

CLINIC: No. Everything here is confidential. No. We would not tell anybody about that. This is very confidential.

CALLER: Well, it’s just the thing is, that I don’t drive. I’m not old enough, but could my boyfriend pick up the pills if I was on birth control?

CLINIC: No. You would need to come in.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Well, he can — I guess he can pick them up if you sign for the, but there’s a special form that we have. So where you can sign and give us permission, giving him permission to pick up the pills.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: But most of the time, you know, you need to — he can bring you and we can give you the pills.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: But you wouldn’t have to tell anybody about him or anything?

CLINIC: No, not at all, not — not if — if you didn’t say anything then we don’t know, right?

CALLER: Right. Okay.

CLINIC: And I just gave you a little heads up. (laughs)

CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

CLINIC: But yeah, call Reproductive Services and tell them that you’re doing this and like I say, you can either come here or go there and do a pregnancy test and fill out the forms and they will guide you how to do this.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Okay. Well —

CLINIC: If you have any questions then give us a call.

CALLER: Okay. What was your name?

CLINIC: Minnie.

CALLER: Okay. Thanks.

CLINIC: Uh-huh. Bye bye.

CALLER: Bye.

(phone clicks)

*** THE END ***