#701 – Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center in Bangor, ME
Listen to the Call:
Transcript:
MABEL WADSWORTH WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER
362 HARLOW ST.
BANGOR, ME 4401
207-947-5337
TAPE – 701
(dialing sound) (ringing 2X)
CLINIC: Good afternoon. Maple Wadsworth Women’s Health.
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there?
CLINIC: Yes, we do.
CALLER: Okay. Well, do you know how much it costs?
CLINIC: $425.
CALLER: Okay. Do you know — I’m just kind of worried because like I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend told me that you guys would have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: I don’t know. You’d need to talk to the coordinator, the clinic coordinator about that. Did you want me to have her call you back?
CALLER: Well, I can’t have anyone call me. I’m at my friend’s house and her mom would answer the phone.
CLINIC: The best time to call her would be tomorrow after 9:00.
CALLER: Okay. What was her name?
CLINIC: Her name is Marie.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Well, do you guys do the pregnancy tests there just to make sure?
CLINIC: Yes.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: If you need one, yes. If you’ve already done one, then no, you probably don’t need it.
CALLER: Oh. Well, I haven’t done one. I just haven’t had my period since January 3.
CLINIC: You really need to do a pregnancy test.
CALLER: So I could come in there and do that?
CLINIC: Um-hum.
CALLER: Okay. Well, if it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant could I get birth control from you guys?
CLINIC: Sure.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Do you have insurance at all?
CALLER: Well, no. It’s just — my boyfriend said that he would pay for everything. Like we were talking about it, and but we don’t want anyone to know about us. Would he have to sign anything if he was paying for everything?
CLINIC: I don’t believe so, no.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: Did you want to make an appointment to come in for that?
CALLER: Well, when do you guys normally do that?
CLINIC: For the pregnancy test?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: We could do it tomorrow afternoon.
CALLER: Well, what time?
CLINIC: I have a 1:15 or a 1:30.
CALLER: Okay. Well, I’d have to call my boyfriend to see, but I think he could do it on like his lunch break. Would it take very long, or —
CLINIC: No. I’d plan about a half hour.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Okay. Well, is it all right if he’s there with me?
CLINIC: Sure.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Yeah.
CALLER: But you wouldn’t have to tell anybody if I was there for that?
CLINIC: No. No, no. No. That’s confidential.
CALLER: Oh, okay. And the birth control too?
CLINIC: Right.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: So do you want to make an appointment or are you going to call me back?
CALLER: Okay, yeah. I’ll call you back. What was your name?
CLINIC: Brenda.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: All right.
CALLER: Okay, thank you.
CLINIC: Bye bye.
TAPE – 701 Pt 2: The Call Back
(Dialing, phone ringing 1X)
CLINIC: Good afternoon, Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health.
CALLER: Hi, yeah. I was calling to talk to Marie.
CLINIC: And your name?
CALLER: It’s Lisa.
CLINIC: Lisa?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Did you say Lisa?
CALLER: Uh huh.
CLINIC: Hold on.
(pause)
CLINIC: Lisa, she’s still at lunch. Can I have her call you back?
CALLER: Well, how long do you think she’ll be at lunch? Can I just —
CLINIC: Oh, about 5 or 10 minutes.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Do you want me to have her call you?
CALLER: Well, I’ll just call back.
CLINIC: Alright.
CALLER: Is that okay?
CLINIC: Sure.
CALLER: Okay. Thanks.
CLINIC: Bye.
TAPE – 701 Pt 3: The Call Back
(Dialing, phone ringing 1X)
CLINIC: Can I help you?
CALLER: Hi, yeah. I was calling to talk to Marie.
CLINIC: Your name?
CALLER: It’s Lisa.
CLINIC: Hold on please.
(pause)
CLINIC: Hi, this is Marie. Can I help you?
CALLER: Hi, yeah. I was talking to Brenda yesterday and she told me to call and talk to you about getting an abortion.
CLINIC: Mm hmm.
CALLER: So, like she answered a lot of the questions. But my main one is, I’m gonna be 14 like later on this month, and my friend said that you guys would have to tell my parents. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of everything, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: No.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: (sighs) You’re 14?
CALLER: Well, I’ll be 14 on the 19th.
CLINIC: Okay. And your boyfriend’s 22?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: We don’t have to tell your parents.
CALLER: Really?
CLINIC: No.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: But what I do need to tell you is I’m a state mandated reporter.
CALLER: Uh huh.
CLINIC: And what that means is, (sighs) I have to report to the Department of Human Services.
CALLER: For what?
CLINIC: That your partner is 22 years old.
CALLER: Why?
CLINIC: Because that’s considered gross sexual abuse.
CALLER: But he’s not abusing me. I mean, we’re in love. We’re gonna get married. He said he was gonna take care of me forever.
CLINIC: Right. Yeah.
(pause)
CALLER: What could happen?
CLINIC: What can happen? I don’t — I don’t know.
(pause)
CLINIC: I’m not sure how to handle this. I want to help you get an abortion.
CALLER: Uh huh.
CLINIC: You don’t have to have parental consent.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: There’s no — Maine does not have parental consent laws.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Do you know the first day of your last menstrual period?
CALLER: It was January 3rd.
CLINIC: January 3rd?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Okay. Okay. So right now you’re still pretty early.
CALLER: Uh huh.
CLINIC: You’re about 7 weeks pregnant.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: I don’t have any openings until like the 8th of — Wait a minute. When did you say your period was?
CALLER: January 3rd.
CLINIC: January 3rd. Okay. I take that back. You are already 11 weeks.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Because this is March.
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: You have to get this done by next week.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Can you tell me why you want to have an abortion?
CALLER: Well, it’s just me and my boyfriend don’t want to have a kid right now. I mean he’s already, he has a son from his previous marriage that’s like a year old. But he just — we don’t want — we can’t get married right now because he has to finish going to school. But he already has a kid. I mean, he takes real good care of him. So, I mean we’re gonna have kids later, we just don’t want to have one right now. He’s gotta finish school and stuff.
CLINIC: Right. (pause) You need to get this done by next week.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Do you have transportation?
CALLER: Well, yeah. He was gonna bring me and pay for everything.
CLINIC: Okay. Okay.
CALLER: He said that he would pay cash for everything. Would that be alright? If that —
CLINIC: Yeah. Well that’s — That’s what we do, is we take cash. But that doesn’t change what I have available.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: I don’t have any openings.
CALLER: Well it’s just the thing is, if he was paying cash, would he have to sign anything?
CLINIC: No.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: No, not at all. Do your parents know you’re in this relationship?
CALLER: Yeah, I mean he works with my dad.
CLINIC: Okay.
CALLER: But they don’t know we’re having sex. I mean, if they found out about that, I don’t know what they would do.
CLINIC: Right.
CALLER: That’s why they can’t know about this.
CLINIC: Right. What I can do is, I can take down your name and I can see what I can find. If you have transportation, it may have to be Portland.
CALLER: Okay. But you would have to report me though?
CLINIC: No. (sighs) No. How am I going to do this?
CALLER: Okay, but you said that you would have to report it.
CLINIC: Right. But — How can I do this?
CALLER: What if you didn’t know about my boyfriend? Like, what if he just dropped me off and I came in by myself?
CLINIC: What the problem is, is you already told me that he’s 22.
CALLER: Yeah. Okay.
CLINIC: So you’ve already told me. (laughs)
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: What I can do is — The only thing I can do and not report is to give you the numbers to Portland and Augusta.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: I can call them and let them know that a person is going to be calling — No, I’m not even going to do that. I’m going to let you take care of it all.
CALLER: Okay. Well, what should I say when I call them?
CLINIC: Just let them know that you want to set up an appointment for an abortion. And the first day of your last menstrual period is when. Those are the questions they’re going to ask you.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay? So you got a pen?
CALLER: Well, would I have to say anything about my boyfriend?
CLINIC: Oh, I don’t know. Only if they ask.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: You got a pen?
CALLER: Yes, I do.
CLINIC: Okay. There’s family planning in Augusta. Their number is 626-3243. And there is Planned Parenthood in Portland, and their number is 797-8881.
CALLER: 797-8881?
CLINIC: Yeah.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: And those are the two places that might be able to get you in. Just let them know your name, the first day of your last menstrual period.
CALLER: Okay. But if they — So if they found out about my boyfriend, then we’d be in trouble?
CLINIC: They’re gonna have — They would have — They’re the same as I am. They’re state mandated reporters.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: And because you did not tell me your name, I don’t know who you are.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: So, see if you can set up an appointment with somebody and get the abortion.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay? And my name is Marie, so if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to call me.
CALLER: Well, actually, do you know if I could get a pregnancy test at where you’re at?
CLINIC: Oh, sure.
CALLER: Because I haven’t had one yet. I just haven’t had my period since like January 3rd.
CLINIC: Oh, okay.
CALLER: So that’s why we’re just both scared, so.
CLINIC: You haven’t? Okay. Yeah, we can set you up for a pregnancy test.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Where do you live?
CALLER: I’m in Old Town.
CLINIC: Okay.
CALLER: But if it came out that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control from you guys?
CLINIC: Yes, of course you can.
CALLER: But would you have to tell anybody about that though?
CLINIC: Nope.
CALLER: Oh, really?
CLINIC: Nope. You don’t have to have permission for sexual health care.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Well, if I can put you on hold for a second, I’m going to put you out front and let them schedule you to come in and get a pregnancy test and talk about putting you on some birth control.
CALLER: Okay. Well, what times do you normally do the pregnancy test?
CLINIC: It varies. It’s whatever I have available.
CALLER: Okay. My boyfriend would have to drive me though. I mean, he’d be the only way I could get there. Would that be alright?
CLINIC: That’s fine.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Yep, that’s not a problem. Can I put you on hold for just a second?
CALLER: Sure.
CLINIC: Thanks.
(long pause)
CLINIC: Hi there.
CALLER: Hi.
CLINIC: What about 1:15 tomorrow?
CALLER: Well, I’d have to call my boyfriend to see, but I think he could probably do it then.
CLINIC: You want me to put you down, and then if it’s not good, call me back?
CALLER: Well, let me call him and call you right back. Is that okay?
CLINIC: Yeah.
CALLER: What was your name?
CLINIC: What is your name?
CALLER: It’s Lisa.
CLINIC: Okay. My name’s Brenda.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay.
CALLER: Okay. Thanks.
CLINIC: Okay. Bye.
***END***
#800 – Maine Women’s Clinic (Dr. Bently) in Bangor, ME
Listen to the Call:
Transcript:
MAINE WOMEN’S CLINIC – DR. BENTLY
BANGOR, ME 04401
207-945-4300
TAPE – 800
(Dialing, phone did not ring)
CLINIC: Good morning. Dr. Bentley’s office.
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there.
CLINIC: No, we don’t. I can give you another phone number.
CALLER: All right.
CLINIC: 947-5337. That’s the Mabel Wadsworth Health Care Center.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Well, do you know — I’m just kind of worried because I haven’t had my period for a while, and we’re just scared. But like —
CLINIC: Have you had a pregnancy test?
CALLER: Well, no.
CLINIC: That’s the first thing you need to do.
CALLER: Well, do you guys do that there?
CLINIC: Well, you could, you know, do the one from the drug store, would be just as accurate as what we would do.
CALLER: Oh, really?
CLINIC: And it would probably be cheaper. Yeah.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Yup. So you need to do that first and see what that says. And if it’s positive, then you should go ahead and give them a call at the number I gave you. Okay? Or Family Planning might be able to fit you right in if you want to do a pregnancy test at an office.
CALLER: If it came out that I wasn’t pregnant, could I get birth control from you guys?
CLINIC: What kind of insurance do you have?
CALLER: Well, my boyfriend said he would pay cash for everything.
CLINIC: Uh huh. Well, what we would have to do — have you ever had an exam before?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: It would be your first appointment with a gynecologist?
CALLER: Yeah.
CLINIC: Yeah, so we would consider you a new patient, and we would do, you know, like a well-woman’s physical. We would do a breast exam and a pelvic and a pap smear in order to start you on birth control. A visit here at this office it would be like $144. If financially you’re looking for something less expensive, you could go through Planned Parenthood, family planning.
CALLER: Oh. Well, my boyfriend gave me this number to call, and he wanted to go to you guys so. But the thing is, I’m going to be 14 later on this month, and my friend said that you guys would have to tell my parents I was there. But my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it, and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: Right. You could some see us on your own. Did you want to make an appointment?
CALLER: Well, I have to call him to see when he can get off work to bring me. But if I was pregnant, you could refer me to the other people or?
CLINIC: Right. But you need to find that out as soon as possible; you don’t want to delay that. The first thing you need to do is go buy a test and do the test. Okay? I think they’re around, I don’t know, anywhere from 12 to $15. You need to go do that first. And if that’s positive, then you need to call that number I gave you. That’s what you need to do first. And if that’s negative, then you can call me back, and we’ll schedule you an exam.
CALLER: Okay. If I got birth control, would anybody have to know though?
CLINIC: No. No. Nobody would have to know.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: So go do the test first. Okay?
CALLER: All right. And you’re sure nobody would have to know anything about me and my boyfriend?
CLINIC: I’m positive.
CALLER: Okay. What was your name again if I had any other questions?
CLINIC: Yeah. My name is Liz. And you can call me back. But you need to go do your pregnancy test first. That’s the first thing you need to do. Okay?
CALLER: Okay. Thank you.
CLINIC: All right.
CALLER: Bye.
CLINIC: Bye.
***END***
#606 – Planned Parenthood in Biddeford, ME
Listen to the Call:
Transcript:
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
PO BOX 1556
BIDDEFORD, ME 4005-1556
207-282-6620
TAPE – 606
(dialing sounds) (ringing 2X)
CLINIC: Good morning. Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood.
CALLER: Hi. Yeah. I was calling to see if you guys do abortions there?
CLINIC: No, we do not.
CALLER: Oh. Well, do you know of anybody that does?
CLINIC: Have you done a positive pregnancy test?
CALLER: No. I just haven’t had my period since like December 26, and I’m scared.
CLINIC: Okay. So you probably should do a pregnancy test first before you start inquiring about anything.
CALLER: Oh.
CLINIC: Did you — are you a patient of any of the Planned Parenthoods?
CALLER: No.
CLINIC: Which one are you close by?
CALLER: The one that you guys —
CLINIC: The Biddeford — here at the Biddeford site?
CALLER: Uh-huh.
CLINIC: You can either come in after 12:30 today to do a pregnancy test and then get some options counseling at that time and go from there.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: So, you know, it could be — are you having symptoms of pregnancy?
CALLER: Well, no. I just haven’t had my period since like the day after Christmas.
CLINIC: Right. How old are you?
CALLER: I’ll be 14 next month.
CLINIC: Okay. Well, you need to come in and do a pregnancy test.
CALLER: Okay. But would you have to tell my parents or anything? Like my boyfriend’s 22. Is he old enough to take care of it and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?
CLINIC: No. No. We wouldn’t be telling your parents.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: No. So — but you do need to, you do need to come in. I don’t know. We’ll be back from lunch around 12:30.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: So if you want to come in after 12:30 and then we’ll at least do the pregnancy test and go from there — because it could be something as simple that you need to go on birth control pills to regulate your period, so.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: You know. So there are other things that could be wrong.
CALLER: So I could be on birth control and you wouldn’t have to tell anybody about that either?
CLINIC: Not about going on birth control, no.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: No. We do the pregnancy tests are free, If you decide if it’s a negative pregnancy test today and you want to go on birth control, if you don’t have insurance or Medicaid or anything like that —
CALLER: Well, my boyfriend said he would pay for everything.
CLINIC: Okay, all right. So he can pay for the office visit and pay for the pills and —
CALLER: But it’s just we were talking about all this and we don’t want a whole bunch of people to know about us. If he was paying for it, would he have to sign anything?
CLINIC: He wouldn’t have to sign anything at all.
CALLER: Oh, okay.
CLINIC: You would have to have — you would fill out forms and so forth. We would need all your information, but we wouldn’t call your parents to tell them that you’re coming here to go on pills or anything like that.
CALLER: Okay. So nobody would know about him?
CLINIC: Your parents won’t know about him, no.
CALLER: Okay. Well, like just nobody at all?
CLINIC: Well, we’ll know. (laughs)
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: We’ll know about him because you’re going to be coming in here, so.
CALLER: It’s just, we don’t want his ex-wife to know about us either, so.
CLINIC: Um-hum, well, we’re not going to tell his ex-wife either. (laughs)
CALLER: All right.
CLINIC: So. But come in and do the pregnancy test.
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: All right.
CLINIC: All righty.
CALLER: Well, I need to call him and see if he can bring me today, but —
CLINIC: Okay.
CALLER: If he thought up of any other questions, could I call and talk to you? What was your name?
CLINIC: My name’s Christine.
CALLER: All right.
CLINIC: Okay?
CALLER: Okay.
CLINIC: All right. Bye bye.
CALLER: Thanks. Bye.
(phone clicks)
***END***