A Plea to Supporters of Planned Parenthood
The reason I’m willing to do that is because we have more
common ground than might be readily apparent. Our divergent paths cross at
least on one point: the sexual abuse of minors. Pro-life and pro-choice
advocates can agree that it is a despicable evil for anyone to exploit underage
children.
What does Planned Parenthood have to do with any of this?
The answer is sobering, and I will divide it into two separate points below. In
short, I want to show how Planned Parenthood is habitually guilty of aiding and
abetting the sexual abuse of minors.
1. STATUTORY RAPE
(NON-CONSENSUAL)
The website Child Predators has documented over 50 cases in 22 states in which an underage
girl was sexually assaulted, taken to a Planned Parenthood (or PP-affiliated)
center for an abortion by the perpetrator, and was not reported to authorities.
If you do a little online research, you can find news articles confirming the
details of these cases. Dates range from 1980 to 2012; about half took place
after 2000.
Why is this such a big deal? Because it is illegal in all 50 states for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a minor. Furthermore, healthcare workers are required by law to report each incident of even alleged sexual assault.
Consider the facts of just one case from 2012. Timothy Smith took his stepdaughter, whom he had been sexually assaulting for years, to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Denver to get an abortion. The employees at PP learned that she was only thirteen, and noticed that, even though Timothy claimed to be her father, they both had different last names, and she referred to him as “Tim” instead of “Dad.” She received the abortion, as well as an injectable birth control shot—something to which she objected, but her stepfather overruled.
Why is this such a big deal? Because it is illegal in all 50 states for an adult to engage in sexual activity with a minor. Furthermore, healthcare workers are required by law to report each incident of even alleged sexual assault.
Consider the facts of just one case from 2012. Timothy Smith took his stepdaughter, whom he had been sexually assaulting for years, to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Denver to get an abortion. The employees at PP learned that she was only thirteen, and noticed that, even though Timothy claimed to be her father, they both had different last names, and she referred to him as “Tim” instead of “Dad.” She received the abortion, as well as an injectable birth control shot—something to which she objected, but her stepfather overruled.
During all of this, the clinic workers at Planned Parenthood
committed several acts of criminal negligence, including
- A failure to verify any of the information the stepfather gave them regarding the pregnancy, even though it was suspicious
- A failure to confirm consent from a birth parent before performing an abortion on a minor
In all of this, keep in mind that a majority of sexual
assaults are never reported. So, statistically speaking, the findings above represent
just a fraction of the cases in which Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have
turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse of minors.
2. STATUTORY RAPE (CONSENSUAL)
In 2002, an investigative group conducted a phone survey in
which they called over 800 Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation
centers throughout the country. In each case, the caller pretended to be a
13-year-old girl who was pregnant by her 22-year-old boyfriend. The purpose was
to see how clinic representatives would respond to a presented case of
statutory rape in which the girl was trying to keep her pregnancy secret. Here’s
just a snippet from their findings:
[Planned Parenthood and NAF employees]
were willing – and in many cases eager – to help this child hide from her
parents and the authorities the fact that she was being sexually exploited.
Toward that end they provide step-by-step instructions on how to circumvent state
laws that were enacted specifically for the purpose of protecting children
exactly like her in situations just like this. . . .
From start to finish, the attributes of
the employees we talked to made it brutally obvious that this is an issue they
deal with routinely. In fact, several of them volunteered that they get calls
like this all the time.
You don’t have to take my word for it. You can listen to
each and every phone call (if you really want to) here.
ALL SYSTEMS KNOW
ALL SYSTEMS KNOW
As a pro-choice reader, you may
have a hard time swallowing information given to you by pro-life sources. You’re
afraid of confirmation bias, right? I can understand that.
Note, however, that the statistics
and articles and media I’ve referenced or linked to aren’t mere hearsay. They
are verifiable incidents, backed up by news reports and court records. As such,
these facts are inherently damning no matter one’s political or ideological
persuasion.
The Timothy Smith case is a
good example of how Planned Parenthood has failed to implement any adequate
reforms. After Smith was convicted in late 2012, a civil suit against PP confirmed
that the organization still has a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Court documents show that current PP training materials state, “PPRM policy is to
not ask partner’s age” (listed under a section entitled, “Partner Looks A Lot
Older”).
Or consider this example from 2014, in which an Arizona Planned Parenthood counselor
intentionally miscoded a case of sexual assault as a consensual encounter. Or
consider this 2014 report by the Alabama Department of Public Health, detailing how a
Planned Parenthood facility “failed to report reasonable suspected abuse or
neglect for a minor,” even though the child had been brought in for two
abortions in the span of several months.
It would be one thing if we were
talking about a few isolated events. Instead, we’re dealing with literally
hundreds of incidents all across the nation, spanning over three decades. These
problems are systemic. As a whole, Planned Parenthood has repeatedly shown its
willingness to circumvent the law, to the possible—if not certain—detriment of
its patients.
PRO-LIFERS AND PRO-CHOICERS UNITE
Over the years, I have witnessed the exposure of certain religious leaders involved in the
sexual abuse of minors. These stories have saddened and sickened those inside
and outside the community of faith. And rightly so. The abuse of power on
display is worthy of opposition and even prosecution.
The same goes for PP’s actions
detailed above. It won’t work to argue, as many have, that “Planned Parenthood
still does a lot of good.” This excuse is inadequate at best and
sleight-of-hand at worst. A foster parent who has molested only one of his
children is unfit to parent; a politician who has covered up a felony so as not
to hurt his campaign is unfit for office; a charity that hides the misdeeds of
its leadership in order to save face is not a trustworthy ministry; and an
organization with a penchant for putting its clients at risk of physical and
emotional harm is not fit to keep its doors open.
The evidence is mounting, causing increasing
public concern, even among the media. That’s why pro-choice advocate Bunnie Riedel finds it “disturbing” that PP has spent so much time circling the
wagons rather than addressing the legitimate criticisms leveled against it. That’s
why Vox editor Sarah Kliff similarly finds it “disturbing” and “damaging” that some Planned Parenthood
officials dismiss their ethics fudging as a “specious issue.” That’s why
pro-choice proponent Ruben Navarrette Jr. has solemnly agreed with the assessment that “Planned Parenthood’s system-wide
conspiracy to evade the law…is now undeniable.”
So would you please join me in advocating
for the elimination of Planned Parenthood? Our government, and society as a
whole, must not stand idly by. To ignore the plight of the vulnerable among us
is irresponsible and just plain crazy. I don’t say that because I’m pro-life
and you’re pro-choice. I say that because we are all human, and we can—and
should—unite in protecting the dignity, innocence, and humanity of those we all
inherently agree are worth protecting: our already-born children.