More absurdity from Planned Parenthood

Indiana Judge Demands Minors' Abortion Records from Planned Parenthood in Alleged Rape Cover-Up

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, June 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An Indiana judge has ruled that Planned Parenthood must turn over to state investigators medical records for abortions committed on children under 14. Planned Parenthood is under investigation by the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for failing to report child abuse as mandated by state law.

A girl under 14 years of age who is pregnant is presumed to be a victim of rape, however Planned Parenthood argues that for them to comply with the underage reporting law would be a breach of the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement. Judge Kenneth H. Johnson, in his ruling Monday, disagreed: “The great public interest in the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of child abuse trumps even the patient's interest in privileged communication with her physician because, in the end, both the patient and the state are benefited by the disclosure,” according to an indystar.com report.

Attorney General Steve Carter said earlier that he is “obligated under federal and state statutes to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect by Medicaid providers, which include hospitals, nursing homes and other medical clinics that receive Medicaid reimbursement from the state.” Planned Parenthood receives Medicaid funding.

Indiana University School of Law professor Henry Karlson said that a doctor is obligated to report instances of abuse just as they are obligated to report gunshot wounds. “Clearly if a child under 18 comes in and says, ‘I need birth control,’ you (know) . . . that would lead a reasonable person to believe that they have been” abused, he said.

Mark Crutcher, President of Life Dynamics, called Planned Parenthood's argument a scam: “For the past thirty years, these people have been selling secrecy to men who rape children and now they're asking us to believe that they are hiding the records in order to protect the children who were raped. The whole thing would be laughable if it were not so obscene. The fact is, in our office we have a tape recording of Planned Parenthood's top two national attorneys admitting that child abuse reporting laws override confidentiality in every situation and in every state.”