Monday, March 28, 2005

On the hunt for sexual predators . . sorta

Following the footsteps of Kansas, Indiana state Attorney General Steve Carter is on the hunt for sexual predators who target underaged girls. Sort of.

Carter's is investigating Planned Parenthood clinics who he believes is treating or counseling female Medicaid recipients under the age of 14 without reporting that these young girls have been sexually abused. According to Carter this has nothing to do with abortion as some of the victims did not necessarily terminate a pregnancy, some have used PP services for treatment of STDs, internals, or counseling. Carter also states the investigation is part of routine medicaid fraud investigation and is not limited to PP clinics. He is, however, concerned that PP considers requests for these records as a violation of patient's privacy - something he considers protecting child abusers (and, I gather, PP from prosecution for not reporting alleged abuse). You see, in the state of Indiana, anyone under the age of 14 who has sex is a victim of sexual abuse and anyone who treats a child under the age who has had sex (or may have sex, if they've only received counseling/contraception) must report that a suspected child sexual abuse.

According to Allen County Right to Life Executive Director Cathie Humbarger, Planned Parenthood’s priorities are misplaced.

“Defense of our children should be our foremost concern,” she said. “This is not about abortion; this is about child abuse. What’s more important – privacy or kids? And if we don’t defend them, who will?”
What I'd like to know is if this really isn't about abortion, why is the investigation limited to Medicaid patients and why haven't we heard about investigations of private pediatrician/gynecologist offices who treat girls under the age of 14 for the same reasons as PP or hospitals where these little girls deliver babies? Come to think of it, why don't they start doing background checks on Operation Rescue members when they come to protest at the local PP?


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