Planned Protection for Predators
By Nathan Tabor (06/07/07)
Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion operation, claims to be a trusted source of health information and medical care for young women. However, there is mounting evidence that the organization has failed miserably when it comes to protecting minor girls from sexual predators.
The latest example of this comes from Ohio, where a girl who was sexually abused by her father has filed suit against Planned Parenthood in Cincinnati. The girl says that Planned Parenthood failed to report the abuse she underwent when her father forced her into having an abortion. Following the abortion, the abuse continued for more than a year, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Now, under Ohio law, doctors, nurses, teachers, and others in positions of authority are required to report claims of abuse to law enforcement. Planned Parenthood official Becki Brenner was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that, if the girl had alleged abuse, “We would call and report as required by law.” This statement indicates that the girl’s case may boil down to “She said, PP said.” PP is obviously betting that its support from some public officials and a vast number of media representatives will help shore up its case.
But isn’t it ironic that an organization which claims to have the best interests of women at heart is questioning the credibility of a sexual abuse victim? Is that really a pro-woman stance?
If the Cincinnati incident were an isolated case, that might be one thing. But the fact is, there appears to be a pattern of PP failing to report sexual abuse to authorities. The American Life League, for instance, has documented a number of cases in which PP did not live up to its responsibility to report statutory rape. For instance, in 1998, in Glendale, Arizona, a 12-year-old girl who was raped by a foster brother had an abortion at PP. But PP never reported the rape to the police. It took another six months—and another appointment for abortion—before PP alerted authorities and the predator was arrested and convicted. The girl sued and a judge determined that PP was negligent for failing to report the rape. Court records indicate that the girl ultimately reached a settlement in the case.
Meanwhile, in 1999, an 11-year-old California girl went to a PP facility, saying she had been raped. The victim asked PP not to inform anyone, including her parents. However, the law clearly indicates that PP should have reported the rape to the police. In 2005, a PP website included a letter from the girl praising PP for keeping her rape a secret. Not only did PP fail to do its civic duty—it actually had the gall to publicize the fact. According to the American Life League, the letter was ultimately removed from the site—but the damage had already been done.
It’s bad enough that PP actually accepts money to end the lives of tens of thousands of unborn babies. Now, there are indications that PP has, at times, been grossly negligent by failing to report allegations of statutory rape. It’s going to take a great deal of public relations spin for PP to attempt to redeem itself in this situation.
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