by Gayle Plato-Besley, M. Ed

Abortion is a medical procedure performed to terminate a pregnancy.  With that, there is a physical and psychological impact for each woman choosing abortion. As a vast majority of abortions are performed on young adults and teens, there is a significant need to look at potential rape and abuse against these women.  The abortion clinic or other medical facility may be the only professional help the abuse victim receives.  It is morally and legally critical that all abortion requests be considered and analyzed for potential abuse, and all seekers of the service studied for at-risk behaviors. The moment the girl or woman walks in she is, by definition of the act of abortion, at-risk. Arizona House Bill 2564 faces this controversy head on.

All therapists and counselors, and psychiatrists are trained, in-depth, about the Tarasoff case:  A college therapist had reason to believe that a patient might be violent as he’d threatened a woman friend.  While the therapist did contact campus police, it was found that the therapist had a legal obligation to go farther and warn the victim, following up with city officials.  Though the therapist had made some effort, it was deemed negligent in light of the fact that the patient did stab to death the woman after claiming he premeditated the act. Therapists and doctors have a legal obligation to notify authorities and any parent not suspected of the abuse itself of the risk to the minor. If the parent is the potential abuser, their is an obligation to contact authorities. Period. This is not debatable.

Tarasoff makes the Arizona HB 2564, of a 24-hour notification and further informative counsel to abortion seekers necessary.  If the client states potential abuse, a fear of violent reaction of the said father/partner, or notes a statutory rape situation, there is a precedent to report this immediately.  If the young woman is under 18 it is a no-brainer for anyone talking to her: you must inform the family.

This is a fact in any school, club, church youth group-why not at a medical facility?   As an experienced school counselor and high school teacher, I can personally attest to children telling me they suspect pregnancy.  I can give you sad stories, scary concerns, and girls pleading with me not to tell.  I can tell you of heated debates with teachers or staff-men and women, angry that I was breaking ‘a confidence’.

It is the law.  I’ve never regretted EVER telling a parent that their is a risk of abuse, that a child threatened suicide, that a girl might be pregnant.  I do not regret turning in suspected molestation to the police.  I lament the process, and I was doggedly annoying in making sure the parties did their jobs.  I talked very frankly with parents saying I will not tolerate any harm of the child and I would check.  Someone has to make a stand in these cases.

This issue may be a story for debate, but to me it’s personal.  You better know where you stand before you argue.  Checking in on the National Organization of Women, I wonder who they think they are helping:

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, which includes crimes that were not reported to the police, 232,960 women in the U.S. were raped or sexually assaulted in 2006. That’s more than 600 women every day.⁶ Other estimates, such as those generated by the FBI, are much lower because they rely on data from law enforcement agencies. A significant number of crimes are never even reported for reasons that include the victim’s feeling that nothing can/will be done and the personal nature of the incident (http://www.now.org/issues/violence/stats.html)

If NOW worries about abuse, then it cannot support groups that literally encourage their “counselors” to manipulate women and children.  Sonoran Alliance posted previously about the manipulative tactics of abortion clinicians.  Girls and women worried about abortion and the result need help.  Help may not feel as good as enabling might.  Hiding facts is a crime. Please read the entire investigation footnoted with an excerpt below:

Life Dynamics conducted a covert investigation in which we called over 800 Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation facilities across the country. Our caller portrayed a 13-year-old girl who was pregnant by her 22-year-old boyfriend. Her story was that she wanted an abortion because she and her boyfriend did not want her parents to find out about the sexual relationship. In every call the ages of the girl and her boyfriend were made perfectly clear. It was also unmistakable that the motivation for the abortion was to conceal this illicit sexual activity from the girl’s parents and the authorities…

Nevertheless, these clinic workers were willing – and in many cases eager – to help this child hide the fact that she was being sexually exploited from her parents and the authorities. Toward that end, they provided step-by-step instructions on how to circumvent state laws that were enacted specifically for the purpose of protecting children exactly like her, in situations just like this.  (http://www.childpredators.com/CoverUp.cfm#investigation)