In the October issue of First Things, twenty-two-year-old Lila Rose wrote about her crusade against Planned Parenthood. She tells how she went undercover to two Los Angeles Planned Parenthood clinics posing as a young, scared, pregnant fifteen years old, the victim of a twenty-three-year-old statutory rapist. The Planned Parenthood staff told her, into her hidden cameras: “Figure out a birth date that works.” Lie about your age on the paperwork. Say you are older than you really are. We will give you a secret abortion, and no one will ever know.
Since the videos went viral on YouTube and were seen by millions of people, you’d think that the organization would be more cautious about what they said in the future. But the workers at Planned Parenthood apparently aren’t that bright. In a new video by Rose’s group, Live Action, a Planned Parenthood manager in New Jersey coaches a man and a woman posing as sex traffickers how to to secure secret abortions, STD testing, and contraception for their female underage sex slaves. The counselor even tells them to make their whole operation “look as legit as possible.”
(Via: The Corner)
UPDATE: Planned Parenthood has fired the woman in the video.
February 1st, 2011 | 3:13 pm
[...] from First Thoughts: In the October issue of First Things, twenty-two-year-old Lila Rose wrote about her crusade [...]
February 1st, 2011 | 4:25 pm
I would hope that in the interest of truth, Mr. Carter would ad a disclaimer to this post reflecting that Planned Parent contacted federal authorities to report the so-called “pimp” fully one week before these videos were released on You Tube. Despite moral objections to abortion, we do not need to libel the organization with charges of supporting prostitution, sex-trafficking and rape.
Per the Washington Post:
“NEW YORK — Planned Parenthood, a perennial protest target because of its role in providing abortions, has notified the FBI that at least 12 of its health centers were visited recently by a man purporting to be a sex trafficker but who may instead be part of an attempted ruse to entrap clinic employees.
In each case, according to Planned Parenthood, the man sought to speak privately with a clinic employee and then requested information about health services for sex workers, including some who he said were minors and in the U.S. illegally.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/24/AR2011012404462.html
February 1st, 2011 | 4:26 pm
Appalling. On top of her blase acceptance of trafficking, she appears to recommend Gosnell’s abortion clinic!
February 1st, 2011 | 4:36 pm
Disgusting.
The mainstream media will, of course, ignore this.
February 1st, 2011 | 4:41 pm
Wait, so did they report him for suspected sex-trafficking, or for suspected entrapment?
February 1st, 2011 | 4:49 pm
Katie–according to the article, PP reported the Live Action “pimp” to the FBI as possible sex-trafficker despite their suspicions that he was an actor. They were fairly certain he was not being truthful with them, but reported him just in case.
February 1st, 2011 | 5:21 pm
csiems, why would they have not called the police right then and there, while there is still a chance for the police to actually intervene and break up this sex ring? Why wait until the situation is so stone-cold that the police have little to work with?
One has to assume that, if they called the police significantly later, their concern was not law-breaking but rather their own reputation.
Either that, or they just wanted to give the pimp a fair chance to evade conviction.
Doesn’t change the relevant part, though, which is that they apparently don’t mind playing the role of accomplice.
February 1st, 2011 | 5:57 pm
Blake–those are pretty grand assumptions that one doesn’t have to make at all. The staff at PP are social workers running a medical clinic, not commandos running a sex sting operation.
Given the information they had, they followed procedure and acted appropriately. We might wish the staff to put subdue a suspected pimp with karate moves, but given that they had (presumably) not been trained to do so, we can hardly fault them for calling the authorities to investigate after the meeting. In no way did they act as accomplices to the supposed pimp.
Again, we disagree with the PP staff on the morality of abortion, but that should not lead to hysterical libel.
February 1st, 2011 | 7:07 pm
[...] The periodical “First Things” is helping to expose some of the incredible wrongdoing doing on at planned parenthood. This is appalling enough without thinking about the fact that they are receiving funding from our government to do this. This video does not contain any explicit visuals, but it does contain sexually explicit themes. it is about 10 minutes. You will not believe your ears. Visit the link here. [...]
February 1st, 2011 | 9:01 pm
csiems, two answers.
The first is: moral obligation. If you know a crime is being committed, you don’t help. You call the police. This is just basic citizenship 101. In fact, in some cases, just allowing a known criminal to go free is itself a criminal act.
The second is: legal obligation. People who work in jobs like that are usually what they call “mandated reporters” – that is, they are required by law to report suspected abuse.
If Planned Parenthood employees are not subject to the same rules that other social and medical service providers are expected to adhere to, I want to know why they warrant an exemption.
February 1st, 2011 | 9:31 pm
In that case, csiems, did they also immediately fire Amy and report her criminal involvement “just in case” it was a real instance of aiding and abetting crimes against children as well as obstruction of justice?
If they were really opposed to such aiding and abetting, they should have immediately fired the person who engaged in it and been willing to support her prosecution. If they did not, we don’t really have to look further to discern PP’s institutional position on what went on.
February 1st, 2011 | 10:21 pm
Blake, the woman in the video stated she WAS a mandated reporter — and then instructed the pimp on how to teach the girls to lie to make sure they didn’t tell her anything she’d have to report. She also told them how to deceive the CNP (another mandated reporter) who was likely to be less…..cooperative.
There’s a small possibility she’s a renegade who didn’t learn her tactics from a supervisor at work and was acting on her own in aiding and abetting international sex trafficking of minors. If that’s the case, I expect to hear of her supervisor cooperating fully with a police investigation of her, immediately having reported her actions upon learning of them (assuming the supervisor learned before the video was released.)
February 1st, 2011 | 10:54 pm
To Blake and pentamom–
“If you know a crime is being committed, you don’t help. You call the police.”
Planned Parenthood realized that abuse may be occurring and called the FBI.
“In fact, in some cases, just allowing a known criminal to go free is itself a criminal act.”
Planned Parenthood called the FBI.
“they are required by law to report suspected abuse.”
Planned Parenthood suspected abuse and called the FBI.
“I want to know why they warrant an exemption.”
They don’t. They followed procedure and called the FBI.
“did they also immediately fire Amy and report her criminal involvement?”
Planned Parenthood would have no grounds–legally or ethically–to fire an employee who gave legal medical advice in a private consultation and then reported the criminal activity of the patient.
You have to remember that this was a private consultation only party to the staff member and two “patients.” The only reason that the organization knew to notify the authorities was because the staff member reported possible abuse. This abuse, I might add, if it were actual, would never have been uncovered unless there were a clinic like Planned Parenthood available to offer health services to low-income people.
The fight against abortion should be rooted in truth–not in the demonization of those who disagree, and certainly not in sensational video presented out of context to seem like pro-choicers support abuse and prostitution.
February 1st, 2011 | 11:52 pm
They say hold on a minute and let me get some info for you, leave the room, and call the police. Then keep them busy until the police arrive. The later reporting probably happend when the various clinics reported and someone said this must be a sting report deal and they called to cover their ass. The video does not lie as she is guiding them on how to cheat. Also, if this woman is planning on reporting them, she would have been a lot more cautious about what she was saying as it could have ended up in court.
Every clinic needs to have a complete initial investiagion now and an ongoing follow up. After all, we want to make sure it is safe and legal for everyone, right?
February 2nd, 2011 | 3:13 am
If she had excused herself, called the cops, and gotten the pimp arrested right away, the other girls in his trafficking ring who were not with him would have just been dispersed into other rings. Instead, she built up his faith in her, convinced him to bring the girls in for testing, and then reported him when he left. I agree that she was too cavalier, but I think she seemed to be acting primarily from one motivation: the well-being of the girls working for this pimp. She explained how to get them tested for STDs and pregnancy, and how to keep them safe after an abortion (which is hugely necessary). She then reported the incident so that the authorities could pick up as many of the girls as possible.
She made some mistakes–some of the advice she gave him was over the line, and I wish she wouldn’t have done that, particularly the bit on how to continue “working” the girls who’ve just had abortions–so it seems just that she was fired. But on the whole, she had the best interests of the girls in mind and acted in a legal way to bring about their sexual and physical safety.
February 2nd, 2011 | 10:17 am
There’s something here that is being overlooked. There are many layers of process that have developed because of lawsuits and other things. If an employee sees a shoplifter they are NOT allowed to confront the shoplifter… they are required to notify security. Security then apprehends the shoplifter and goes from there. There are too many mistakes for someone not trained in the law that could derail the prosecution.
There similar issues in this case. PP is in the business of reproductive health, not criminal justice. The employee does NOT know there is footage- it’s illegal to tape these proceedings. Should she report it on the spot and get the guy arrested, she’s relying on the prostitute to corroborate the alleged crime. Otherwise, it’s mere heresay, and the guy walks free anyway. There is no way the prostitute is going to bear witness. To do so is to risk beating or death in retaliation and certain loss of income and possibly the only life she’s known. For the prostitute, it’s safer to get an illegal abortion than to try and escape the crime ring involved- if pimp daddy goes to jail, the minions come looking for an example. It’s a horrible life, but many of these girls prefer it to the unknown of trying to get out. So very very sad, and it’s not a good life at all, but many feel they can’t survive outside it.
February 2nd, 2011 | 1:52 pm
I would like to see a follow up of this story. The video is damning, and I would be very happy to find the woman was simply playing a “role”, but, unfortunately, I think she seems sincere.
February 2nd, 2011 | 2:06 pm
“Planned Parenthood would have no grounds–legally or ethically–to fire an employee who gave legal medical advice in a private consultation and then reported the criminal activity of the patient.”
Since when is “Here’s what you do to lie to escape prosecution and get federal funding you’re not entitled to” legal medical advice? Those things strike me more as “fraud” and “obstruction of justice.”
February 2nd, 2011 | 2:09 pm
Erin — so don’t get the police involved.
And don’t tell them how you’ll make it easier for them to conduct sex trafficking and commit Medicaid fraud.
February 3rd, 2011 | 8:48 am
Pentamom, I did not watch the video. I didn’t see a reason to.
Erin: a mandated reporter is required by law to report the incident.
Not weeks later, not days later. Immediately.
The employee is not obliged to confront the suspect. The two options are: detain the suspect and call the police immediately, or let the suspect go and contact whatever authority they are supposed to contact.
The employee should know what to do, because it’s the responsibility of the employer – Planned Parenthood – to ensure every employee understands what to do.
It is part of being a service provider to understand what to do in the case of suspected abuse. That is what “mandated reporter” means.
It is not up to the employee to determine whether reporting the incident now (vs. later) will help or hinder the police investigation. What the proper authorities do with the information is their job, not hers.
What’s really damning – what suggests it’s not just a single rogue employee – is that this employee (that is, the one who appears to be guilty of aiding and abetting/accomplice to sex trafficking/slavery) has also implicated another clinic. If I am understanding correctly, she directed the “pimp” to a clinic with laxer rules – suggesting widespread corruption (possibly even along a network), not an isolated incident.
February 3rd, 2011 | 10:43 am
Blake, the “other clinic” was, by the name mentioned, apparently not a PP clinic, but some kind of lax independent place with a reputation for skirting the rules. Gosnell’s house of horrors comes to mind as an example of the type.
So that doesn’t implicate PP in running that kind of lawless operation, but it does implicate at least one PP employee in having absolutely no regard for protecting the girls in question from unscrupulous abortion operations, as long as they could get their abortions. They’re all too happy to have barely legal providers do their dirty work as long as PP’s hands stay legally clean — or at least Amy was.
February 5th, 2011 | 11:52 am
Let me make sure I understand the position of First Things: You think sex workers should not get health care at all? Or do you believe they shouldn’t get health care only so long as they are abused?
Which is it?
No, this isn’t really a sting operation on First Things.
February 5th, 2011 | 8:34 pm
[...] Aiding underage sex rings. [...]
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