FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May
20, 2009
For more information contact:
Mike Anthony Scerbo, Public Information Officer
(602) 506-3170 (office) or (602) 489-6913 (cell)
County Attorney
Videotapes of Activities at Planned
Parenthood Facilities at Issue
In
response to recent events at local Planned Parenthood clinics, County Attorney
Andrew Thomas is publicly calling on Planned Parenthood to report sexual abuse
of minors to law enforcement and to train and instruct all staff members to do
so. Thomas has taken this action after
an adult, posing as a 15-year-old impregnated by a much-older adult, visited
two Planned Parenthood clinics and was offered an abortion for a fee at both facilities. The encounters with Planned Parenthood were
videotaped at two Phoenix Planned Parenthood Offices.
Under
state law, A.R.S. § 13-3620, medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses,
as well as people who are responsible for the care or treatment of a minor are
required to report instances of sex crimes or abuse in which the victim is a
minor. Thomas is recommending that new
legislation be passed to make clear the statute applies to nonprofessional employees
and workers at medical or abortion clinics, such as clerical and triage staff,
not just licensed medical professionals.
Thomas
stated, “Medical professionals are required to notify law enforcement when they
learn a child has been the victim of sexual abuse. That obligation applies to those working at
Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood
should honor the letter as well as the spirit of the law by plainly instructing
their employees to report alleged sexual abuse of minors to the proper
authorities, and by making sure these instructions are followed.”
Just
prior to the release of these videos to the local news media, Planned
Parenthood contacted the Phoenix Police Department and inquired about whether
they could receive training on these matters.
The County Attorney





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