HIDING CHILD ABUSE

May 30, 2002
Abortion Foes Reveal Deceptive Tactic
By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

NEW YORK - Anti-abortion activists have revealed the latest covert tactic in their running battle against abortion clinics: A woman posing as a pregnant teen has been calling clinics in hopes of drawing them into violating the law. Life Dynamics, a Texas-based anti-abortion group, said one of its activists has called more than 800 abortion clinics nationwide in recent months, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl impregnated by her 22-year-old boyfriend. Life Dynamics president Mark Crutcher said more than 90% of the clinic employees handling the calls indicated they would conceal the information provided by the caller - a possible violation of state laws requiring the reporting of sexual abuse of a minor.

The calls are the latest in an arsenal of new strategies adopted by anti-abortion militants after authorities clamped down on confrontational protests at clinics. Among other tactics: encouraging clinic staff members to serve as informants and posting photos on the Internet of women seeking abortions. Most of the clinics receiving the telephone calls are affiliated with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

"Their attacks are trying to damage Planned Parenthood, and also eliminate reproductive health services in this country," said president Gloria Feldt. "They'll use any tactics they can." Feldt said Planned Parenthood expects its employees to comply with state laws, but also encourages them to "provide callers with what I'd call a comfort level". "Here's someone who's calling me who's worried, scared," said Feldt, putting herself in the role of a clinic staffer. "How can I help her feel comfortable, get her to the professionals who can help?"

Crutcher, who has released tape recordings of the calls, said some clinic employees told the caller how to avoid detection and circumvent parental notification laws. In several cases, according to Crutcher, the caller was encouraged to conceal her age or her boyfriend's age or give false names to lessen the chance that the boyfriend could be charged with statutory rape. Clinic operators "have made a conscious decision to conceal the sexual exploitation of children and protect the men who commit these crimes," Crutcher said.

He challenged law enforcement authorities to investigate. "Their response depends on how seriously they take sexual abuse of children," he said. "If they don't follow up, there's only one conclusion to reach." Crutcher said he hopes the Life Dynamics campaign will prompt a cutoff of state funding of abortion clinics and unleash a barrage of lawsuits by parents.

Also targeted by the calls were clinics operated by the National Abortion Federation. "As far as we're aware, our clinics are in full compliance with state laws," said its spokeswoman, Stephanie Mueller. Mueller said laws on reporting statutory rape vary from state to state, often affording some discretion to health care professionals. "In most instances, the law recognizes that the one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work on such a sensitive issue," she said.

Among Life Dynamics' other campaigns is Clinic Worker, which encourages abortion clinic employees to become spies or whistle-blowers, reporting possible legal or ethical violations.

Anti-abortion organizations have also expanded their use of the Internet. In addition to identifying doctors who perform abortions, several sites carry photographs of clinic employees and of women entering clinics to get abortions. "In this way, mothers who go to kill their babies will be exposed to the world," anti-abortion activist Neal Horsley wrote on an Internet site seeking volunteers to take photographs outside clinics. Horsley contends - and some legal experts agree - that such use of photographs is protected by the First Amendment. That argument is being tested in court in Illinois, where a woman is suing three anti-abortion activists who allegedly obtained her medical records detailing complications from an abortion. The woman, whose name is being withheld, claims the three violated her privacy after the records and her photo appeared on an anti-abortion Web site last year.

Life Dynamics: http://www.lifedynamics.net
Planned Parenthood: http://www.plannedparenthood.org