Planned Parenthood counselor admits clinic sometimes ‘bends the rules’ for minors

Birmingham, Ala., Jun 30, 2009 / 19:41 pm

Another student investigation into Planned Parenthood’s treatment of alleged statutory rape victims has caught on video an Alabama counselor’s admission that her clinic “does sometimes bend the rules a little bit” rather than report sexual abuse. State law requires health professionals to report suspected cases of sexual abuse immediately to state authorities.

Lila Rose, a 20-year-old UCLA student and president of the group Live Action secretly visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Birmingham, Alabama under the guise of a 14-year-old pregnant by a 31-year-old “boyfriend.”
The video shows a Planned Parenthood counselor advising Rose on whether there is a “problem” about her “boyfriend.”

The counselor, identified as “Tanisha,” replies “As long as you consented to having sex with him, there's nothing we can truly do about that.”

When Rose claims her boyfriend said he could get in “big trouble,” Tanisha replied “he could, especially if your parents find out that he's 31.”

Tanisha then says that the clinic manager, named as OB/GYN Dr. Desiree Bates, “sometimes does bend the rules a little bit.”

“Whatever you tell us stays within these walls," she states, adding "we can't disclose any information to anybody."

Alabama Code 26-14-3 requires health professionals to immediately disclose suspected cases of sexual abuse to the authorities via telephone or in person and later file a written report.

Tanisha also tells Rose that a signature from an “older sister” over the age of 18 or someone “with the same last name” could function as a substitute for parental consent allowing an abortion to be performed. Alabama law requires a minor seeking an abortion for reasons other than abuse, rape, incest or neglect to  have the written permission of either a parent or legal guardian.

Commenting on the investigation in a press release, Rose said:

“The law is explicit about a healthcare provider's duty to report, yet Planned Parenthood pretends they cannot say anything.

"Planned Parenthood increases its business and influence by circumventing state reporting laws, but inflicts terrible harm upon the vulnerable young girls sent back to statutory rapists."

“When to 'bend the rules a little' means hiding a case of statutory rape from Child Protective Services and looking for ways around the parental consent requirement, Planned Parenthood becomes directly responsible for ensuring that statutory rapists can continue their abuse of young girls," Rose charged.

The new video is the sixth of a series in Live Action’s “Mona Lisa Project.” Other video investigations have shown questionable treatment of suspected statutory rape cases in Planned Parenthood clinics in Arizona, Indiana and Tennessee.

The new video can be seen at http://liveaction.org/alabama