Child Predator Tapes: Maryland

PLANNED PARENTHOOD
610 N. HOWARD ST
BALTIMORE, MD 21201-4512
410-576-1414

TAPE – 169

(dialing sound) (ringing 1X)

RECORDING: Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood’s Baltimore City Health Center. (Spanish interpretation) (dial sound) For English, press 1. (dial sound) This is the main menu. Please listen closely to the following options. For our fax number, address, and directions to our Howard Street location, press 1. For hours of operation, press 2. For information on women’s and men’s health services and family planning, prenatal care, surgical or medical abortion, or vasectomy services press 3. (dial sound) For information on women’s and men’s reproductive health services, birth control and family planning and vasectomy press 1. For prenatal care press 2. For information on abortion services, press 3. For medical abortions, press 4. (dial sound) One moment, please.

(ringing 7X)

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood Administrative Office. How may I direct your call?

CALLER: Well, I don’t know. I was wondering about if you guys do abortions there.

CLINIC: Yes, ma’am. We do terminations in our Baltimore City and Annapolis offices.

CALLER: Okay. Do you know if there’s like an age limit for that? Like I’ll be 14 in March.

CLINIC: In general Maryland law requires that minors, anyone under 18 have one parent consent to the termination.

CALLER: Is there any way not to do that?

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: Like I just can’t tell my parents at all because my boyfriend’s 22 and we’re going to get married, but they can’t find out.

CLINIC: Wait a minute. Calm down. Yes, there is. There are two ways. One is a, what is called a judicial bypass where you would need to go before a court judge and he would say whether or not you are mature enough to make that decision on your own basically. And there’s also what’s called, I believe, medical bypass where the doctor that’s performing the surgery can either say that you’re mature enough or that it’s in your best interest to have the termination. And I’m sure that most of our minors that come into our centers use the medical bypass.

CALLER: Okay. So that’s the best thing to do, you think?

CLINIC: That’s probably the less time-consuming thing to do.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: You would basically need to call and set up an appointment. Presently you’re 13?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. What you would need to do is call and set up an appointment. Did you want — I can give you the number to both health centers, and either one. Are you closer to the one in Baltimore City or Annapolis?

CALLER: Baltimore.

CLINIC: Okay. What you would do is call 410-576-1414, and you want to choose option 1 for English and then option 4 for the appointment desk.

CALLER: Okay. Well, like my friend said that you guys have to tell about my boyfriend. Is that true?

CLINIC: We have to do what?

CALLER: Like do you guys have to know about my boyfriend or anything?

CLINIC: Well, what do you mean know? What —

CALLER: Like do they ask about the father or anything like that?

CLINIC: I’m not sure. I don’t work in the health center. I don’t know how much information that they ask for. In general it really doesn’t matter. I mean, if that’s information you want to give they may ask, you know. I really don’t know what information that they will ask, honestly. As far as — is he going to be paying for it? Is that —

CALLER: Yeah. He’s taking care of everything.

CLINIC: Okay. I mean, we don’t really (unclear) information about other people unless, you know, you volunteer it.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: Share that information.

CALLER: So would it be better just not to say anything?

CLINIC: I mean, if they ask you or if it’s something that they need to know, then of course you would need to speak with the, whoever you speak with, maybe a clinician or maybe a counselor, whomever, regarding the issue. But I can’t say 100 percent whether or not they’re going to say — well, in general they don’t ask, well who is the person that, you know, you got pregnant by and so on and so forth.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: But you definitely need to call, and do you have any idea of how many weeks pregnant you are?

CALLER: Well, my last period was like the first week in December.

CLINIC: Uh-huh. Oh, okay. Okay. I was just trying to get a kind of estimate of the weeks, and — but you have — have you taken a home pregnancy test or something like that?

CALLER: Yeah. I took one over the weekend, and it said it was positive.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: But like do you know if those are really accurate?

CLINIC: They’re pretty accurate.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: You’ve only taken one?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: But that was the last period you had in December, right?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: And you usually had regular, like every month, menstrual periods before that?

CALLER: Yeah, usually.

CLINIC: Yeah. They will — let me see. I just want to give an estimate of the number of weeks pregnant you are from the information you gave me. You said first week in December was your last period?

CALLER: Yeah. Uh-huh.

CLINIC: What’s today? The 15th. Okay. It looks — I mean, from the information you gave me I can — I mean, it’s an estimate, okay?

CALLER: Uh-huh.

CLINIC: A broad estimate. Looks like you can be somewhere between 10 and 11 weeks.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: It could be less than that. It could be more. I mean, the only way to really get an exact estimate is to have a sonogram. But you may or may not have to have that done too, by you being around 10 or 11 weeks.

CALLER: Is it all right to come in there and get like a pregnancy test?

CLINIC: You can get a pregnancy test at any of our health centers. You know, you can do that and you can —

CALLER: Okay. Well, like say that I came in there and I wasn’t pregnant after I took the pregnancy test there, or whatever. Do you guys do birth control?

CLINIC: Yes. Yes, ma’am.

CALLER: And you wouldn’t have to tell anybody about that?

CLINIC: No, ma’am.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Sure wouldn’t. Confidential.

CALLER: All right. Well, I just — you’re so nice. I wish I could talk to my mom like I’m talking to you. But what was your name?

CLINIC: My name is Felissa (sp).

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Thanks.

CLINIC: All right then.

CALLER: Bye.

CLINIC: Bye bye.

(phone clicks)

TAPE – 169 Pt 2: The Call Back

(Dialing, phone ringing 1X)

RECORDING: Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood’s Baltimore City Health Center. (dial sound)

CLINIC: Planned Parenthood Administrative Office. How may I direct your call?

CALLER: Hi, I was wondering if I could talk to Felissa (sp).

CLINIC: This is she.

CALLER: Hi. I was the girl that called a little while ago.

CLINIC: I remember you.

CALLER: Well, I was talking to my boyfriend and tell him what you said. Like, what doctor to I have to go to to get the medical bypass?

CLINIC: Oh no, no, no. It’s our doctor that will perform the procedure.

CALLER: Oh. Alright. That was just — He was like, oh right.

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: Do I have to pay more for that or anything?

CLINIC: No. No ma’am. You just have to sign a consent that basically allows for him to say that it’s okay if he does.

CALLER: Okay. Does he ever say no? Like —

CLINIC: I don’t know. I don’t know. Because I don’t work in the center.

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: So I don’t — I mean, they don’t tell me, “well the doctor denied someone” something like that. So I have no idea. I don’t think it’s something that happens often, if at all.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: Okay, thanks.

CLINIC: Okay.

CALLER: Bye.

CLINIC: Bye Bye.

(phone clicks)

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