FOUNDATION FOR MORAL LAW CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION OF BIRMINGHAM PLANNED PARENTHOOD THAT COVERED UP ALLEGED CHILD SEX ABUSE
June 30, 2009
MONTGOMERY — The Foundation for Moral Law in Montgomery, Alabama called on the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) and law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the Planned Parenthood clinic in Birmingham, AL, for recorded evidence released today that shows a staff member telling an alleged statutory rape victim that the clinic will “sometimes bend the rules a little bit” rather than report sexual abuse to state authorities, as required by state law.
Lila Rose of Live Action posed as a 14-year-old girl and told a staff member at Planned Parenthood in Birmingham that she was pregnant by a 31-year-old boyfriend. When asked if this would pose a problem, the staff member replied, “As long as you consented to having sex with him, there's nothing we can truly do about that.” She also stated, “Whatever you tell us stays within these walls” and “we can't disclose any information to anybody.”
The statements by Planned Parenthood's staff show a blatant disregard for Alabama 's mandatory reporting law in Alabama Code section 26-14-3, which requires all clinics to “immediately” make an oral and written report to authorities “when the child is known or suspected to be a victim of child abuse or neglect.” Failure to make such a report is a misdemeanor under section 26-14-13.
Ben DuPré, an attorney with the Foundation for Moral Law, called on DHR and law enforcement agencies to look into and prosecute Planned Parenthood and, where necessary, all other abortion clinics in the state: “Planned Parenthood of Birmingham showed no regard for the mandatory reporting law,” said DuPré, “but more importantly, they demonstrated no concern whatsoever that a purported minor child claimed to be sexually abused and impregnated by a 31-year-old man. For many of these abused girls, these clinics are likely to be the only outside third parties to learn of such illegal sexual conduct. It may hurt their lucrative abortion business, but the law requires Planned Parenthood to report, not cover up, allegations of statutory rape.”
This is now the sixth video published by Lila Rose and her Mona Lisa Project showing abortion clinic staff members around the country violating mandatory reporting laws. According to DuPré, investigations into other Alabama abortion clinics may reveal similar policies of covering up sexual abuse: “In 2006, the Alabama Department of Public Health began to investigate the state's abortion clinics after serious breaches of the health code led to the closing of Birmingham's New Women All Women Health Care. That investigation exposed health code violations by several other abortion clinics, including both of Montgomery's.”
“It is time for the state to once again shine a light into the shadows of these clinics,” said DuPré. “Only statutory rapists stand to gain from Planned Parenthood's continued failure to report sexual abuse of minors.”
The Foundation for Moral Law, a religious-liberties, pro-life legal organization located in Montgomery, Alabama, and is dedicated to restoring the knowledge of God in law and government through litigation and education relating to moral issues and religious liberty. For more information about the Foundation for Moral Law, please visit www.morallaw.org.
