I have to deal with a woman like this at my work, another grad student. She's vehemently against abortion and birth control, but apparently she's already been practicing taking her basal temperature so that, when she does become sexually active, she won't get pregnant because she'll know which part of her cycle she's in. Sounds suspiciously like trying to prevent pregnancy to me- so why tell other women their own methods are wrong? I had to just vent about it for a while because it made me so angry.
I'm a bit conflicted here. I agree with the extreme importance of providing a way for young sexually-active women to get acces to confidential health care, but I'm also uncomfortable with not reporting statutory rape. Consent laws are there for a reason and this "hypothetical" scenario bothers me as much as a Mormon polygamist marrying a child bride. It's one of those very sticky ethical situations that I do not think has a black-and-white answer, in terms of what the Planned Parenthood counselors and doctors should or should not do.
However, to make it an argument against abortion is utterly specious. The issue isn't that the abortion is wrong, it is whether it is ever ok to violate doctor-patient confidentiality when the patient is in a mutually-exclusive situation (statutory rape vs. unwanted pregnancy). The question the doctor has to ask is what is worse: forced unwanted pregnancy or violation of consent laws? Not whether or not abortion is morally evil. So, although this is an ethical difficult question, Lila Rose is still an idiot.
I'm inclined to agree with you on this, Megan- an underage girl needs access to reproductive health services, no matter what. But what worries me is, where do we draw the line on reporting this stuff? Because I have definite issues with not reporting statutory rape. 13/14/15 year olds cannot consent to an adult. So what do we do that doesn't scare them away from getting the reproductive health services they need, but still protects these children?
@CollegeBookworm: I think the law is an ass here, and patient/doctor confidentiality should stand, ESPECIALLY if the patient is a child.
I don't like the idea of a person who was not in the room reporting a rape. The girl/woman who was raped is the only one who should report it.
BUT, I think the Planned Parenthood should train it's staff how to take a 'suspected' rape victim to one side (girl or woman) and talk to them about the issue, and give them information about reporting rape, so they can make their own mind up.
@CollegeBookworm: I think the policy should be to get them the care they need first, and then report. Lila Rose here didn't wait for them to see what they would do after they provided her with the services (which she didn't need, so they would have found out she was faking right then): she want straight to the media.
Its great that she uncovered the lack of their reporting statutory rape -- however she has no right to tell others what they can and cannot do with their uterii, as irresponsible as what they choose to do may be. Its none of her business.
Also, a lot of (but not all, college jezzies!) 20-year-olds have their heads up their asses on a variety of issues. I had my head up my ass about things when I was 20. Maybe not this particular issue, but others, I'm sure. I'm glad I wasn't on the news spouting my opinions on them.
@Oranges w/ Cheese: She uncovered on instance where a provider made that call. She did not uncover sytemic problems with Planned Parenthood.
Frankly, if I were the provider, I would be thinking that I needed her to get the care she needed first and then go to the authorities. Because if you report first, that kid is still pregnant when she wants to be, her parents find out, and she has to go through a rape trial. It's likely at that point, she will not be able to access the care she needs.
So, as women, youths even, we are not guaranteed to have our birth control, plan B or RU487 filled, and as teens, our access to sex education in public schools is curtailed, if we do accidently get preggers and don't want to have the kid, whether we're teenagers or adults, the anti-choice movement is hell bent on denying us access - they'd like to deny poor women access to planned parenthood clinics for even the simplest of health care. So, I have a couple of questions: (1). Why do social conservatives hate women, especially the young ones and the poor ones? (2). Why do they get to map out every aspect of our sex lives - from time of first sexual encounter to when we decide to procreate? (3). WHy aren't they guaranteeing us propser sex ed and guaranteed health coverage from cradle to grave? Hate. Rage. Eyes filling with a strange red light that may result in laser beam powers. . .
@union lizard: (1) Because women make men think dirty thoughts, which is bad. Especially the poor and young ones, cuz they're easy pickins. (2) Gives 'em an excuse to think about dirty things, while telling everyone else not to think about dirty things. (3) Commie!
Well the (hypothetical) dude IS still a pedo. I don't think I could ever call sex between a 13 YO and a 31 YO "consensual." If this had been real, it should have been reported, period. She is a child and he is a sick predator. But moving on...
It's like she went about this bass ackwards. Seems like she just wants to say "See! Those baby killers are a bunch of pedophiles and pedophile enablers! Evil, all of them in every possible way!" What she uncovered is kinda neither here nor there in terms of how it relates to abortion providers. Some people don't report things when they should. Sometimes they happen to be abortion providers.
@rubyinthedust: Yeah, I'm not seeing how Rose made a case against abortion per se. All seh did was shore up the extreme fundamentalist right's contention that we (pro-choicers and abortion providers) are all hateful evil-enabling people.
@rubyinthedust: He wouldn't be a pedophile. A pedophile is attracted to pre-pubescents. By thirteen, most people are already going through puberty. Therefore, he wouldn't be a pedophile.
It's a common tactic of these "pro-life" groups. Rather than combat the issue of abortion head on they try and discredit Planned Parenthood through backdoor violations like this.
I wonder if we would be this outraged if Lila posed as the 13 year old wife of a 31 year old Mormon poygamist? I'm sure this is going to be unpopular, but can a 13 year old really make these kinds of decisions for themselves? The assault law is there for a reason. If this had been an actual 13 year old we'd be horrified that a 31 year old man was having a sexual relationship with her.
@RedLineRage: everybody is horrified by the (fake) story about statutory rape. the question is should we let that horror preclude this (fake) young girl's access to the health care she needs.
Ten years from now, when she wakes up from her childhood indoctrination of religion and fear, she is going to feel really disillusioned and wish she had never granted any public interviews.
@SisterMaryMartha: Given that her indoctrination will undoubtedly continue throughout her lifetime, I'm guessing she'll never make that connection. She'll experience a sense of malaise and/or generalized anxiety about her own life and the world at large and not be able to articulate why. All the while, she'll actively indoctrinate her own kids so the cycle continues.
Shit, I'm feeling really pessimistic today. I'm going to blame the cold, rainy, crap weather.
Thank you, Megan. I really wish these people would stop acting like PP brings in 40-year-old men to rape 13-year-olds so they can cover it up and kill more babies, because it's sooo much fuun!
Bloomington is my old hometown. They are so freaking overworked at that location, because they are one of the only providers in southern Indiana, surrounded by one of the poorest areas of the country. They also have to deal with protesters religious morons like this pretty much everyday. This makes me furious on so many levels and embarrassed for my hometown. The fucking Kinsey Institute is there! Gah!
First "goth kitties" then Ayn Rand, now this? What a depressing morning.
@KatyLou: Actually, the university has a great set of gynos at the health center. I always found them to be very warm and non-judgmental. I know everyone complains about the health center, but I always had really good experiences there.
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However, to make it an argument against abortion is utterly specious. The issue isn't that the abortion is wrong, it is whether it is ever ok to violate doctor-patient confidentiality when the patient is in a mutually-exclusive situation (statutory rape vs. unwanted pregnancy). The question the doctor has to ask is what is worse: forced unwanted pregnancy or violation of consent laws? Not whether or not abortion is morally evil. So, although this is an ethical difficult question, Lila Rose is still an idiot.
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I don't like the idea of a person who was not in the room reporting a rape. The girl/woman who was raped is the only one who should report it.
BUT, I think the Planned Parenthood should train it's staff how to take a 'suspected' rape victim to one side (girl or woman) and talk to them about the issue, and give them information about reporting rape, so they can make their own mind up.
12/19/08
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Also, a lot of (but not all, college jezzies!) 20-year-olds have their heads up their asses on a variety of issues. I had my head up my ass about things when I was 20. Maybe not this particular issue, but others, I'm sure. I'm glad I wasn't on the news spouting my opinions on them.
12/19/08
Frankly, if I were the provider, I would be thinking that I needed her to get the care she needed first and then go to the authorities. Because if you report first, that kid is still pregnant when she wants to be, her parents find out, and she has to go through a rape trial. It's likely at that point, she will not be able to access the care she needs.
12/19/08
(1). Why do social conservatives hate women, especially the young ones and the poor ones?
(2). Why do they get to map out every aspect of our sex lives - from time of first sexual encounter to when we decide to procreate?
(3). WHy aren't they guaranteeing us propser sex ed and guaranteed health coverage from cradle to grave?
Hate. Rage. Eyes filling with a strange red light that may result in laser beam powers. . .
12/19/08
(1) Because women make men think dirty thoughts, which is bad. Especially the poor and young ones, cuz they're easy pickins.
(2) Gives 'em an excuse to think about dirty things, while telling everyone else not to think about dirty things.
(3) Commie!
xoxo,
yvanehtnioj
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PS Fuck off.
12/19/08
It's like she went about this bass ackwards. Seems like she just wants to say "See! Those baby killers are a bunch of pedophiles and pedophile enablers! Evil, all of them in every possible way!" What she uncovered is kinda neither here nor there in terms of how it relates to abortion providers. Some people don't report things when they should. Sometimes they happen to be abortion providers.
12/19/08
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It's a common tactic of these "pro-life" groups. Rather than combat the issue of abortion head on they try and discredit Planned Parenthood through backdoor violations like this.
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Shit, I'm feeling really pessimistic today. I'm going to blame the cold, rainy, crap weather.
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First "goth kitties" then Ayn Rand, now this? What a depressing morning.
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