Parenthood Planned, Girlhood Lost: Continued

This Cincinnati Enquirer article gives an account of two child abuse cases in which Planned Parenthood may have been --to put it mildly-- negligent. I believe the first case described is mentioned in brief in the post linked at the bottom of D's previous post on this subject, just below. It's the nightmarish story of a young girl subjected to life as a virtual sex slave to her own father for five years, during which time she was impregnated, taken by that same father to a PP clinic, and aborted. While there, she reported the abuse to a counselor who did nothing. She was sent home with birth control pills to endure a year and a half more of horror until she got up the nerve to speak to a school official, who reported and thus ended the abuse.

Excerpted below is a brief description of the second:
Hurley also represents "Jane Roe," a victim of sexual abuse by her soccer coach at age 14. She was taken by the abuser to Planned Parenthood in the fall of 2004 for an abortion. Although she used a junior-high school I.D. and the coach, 21, paid with a credit card and driver's license, Planned Parenthood failed to report the abuse...

In the Roe case, a Planned Parenthood "Documentation Form for Suspected Sexual or Child Abuse Report" says:

"Patient reports pregnancy is a result of sexual assault by a stranger."

"After consultation with (Planned Parenthood) attorney, report of a crime to the police was not made; due to physician-patient privilege, we are prohibited from reporting as no severe bodily injury was reported."

Hurley said prosecutors in four local counties know of no such exception to reporting requirements. Hutzel agreed. If evidence of severe injury were required, "there would be no reports in the vast majority of situations," Hurley said.

Hutzel said she is "keeping the door open" for possible criminal prosecution depending on what is revealed in the civil case.

[Hurley and Hutzel are two lawyers representing the victims in these cases.]

Lest anyone who happens upon this site still be under the delusion that this sort of cavalier attitude to the reporting of child sexual abuse--let alone outright rape-- needs to be tolerated in the interest of female "choice," I feel the need to add a bit of personal context.

I have in the last two decades volunteered on a regular basis in several different capacities mentoring children and youth. I have worked with hundreds of children and youth, and as a result I've probably had more child protection training (required for most of these jobs) than your average bear.

All the training I've had is in agreement on one thing. If on any occasion some young lady under my care were to relate an abuse situation of any kind, be the perpetrator her father, coach, neighbor, or eighteen-year-old boyfriend, I would be legally obligated to report the allegation to the authorities, CONFIDENTIALITY BE HANGED. I would be remiss in my duties and potentially legally liable if I didn't. It doesn't matter that I'm not absolutely certain abuse took place either. I am legally required to report the suspicion to the authorities, and let them sort out what is true and what isn't. And I'm not even a health care professional, which would put me at a higher level still of responsibility.

If Planned Parenthood clinics have been habitually ignoring reports of abuse, or really suspicious situations like the Roe case mentioned above in which a crime is reported and it is clear that something fishy --possibly abuse--is going on, then by all means, let's call out the lawyers. How many teenage sex abuse victims have these fanatics sent back into abusive situations? And why? Because it's bad for business? So they wouldn't have to deal with the legal scrutiny? What fresh Hell are they trying to conceal?

[Hat tip for the Enquirer article:The Susan B. Anthony List]