Story Created:
Dec 4, 2008 at 4:55 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Dec 4, 2008 at 4:55 PM EDT
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — A Planned Parenthood nurse has been suspended after an anti-abortion group released a video showing her telling a patient who claimed to be 13 years old to lie about becoming pregnant by a 31-year-old man.
The video was distributed by Live Action Films, which said it was shot secretly June 24 by UCLA student Lila Rose at Planned Parenthood's Bloomington clinic.
Rose, 20, is the group's president.
In the video, she poses as the young patient, telling the nurse she is 13 and has missed her monthly menstrual cycle. The nurse, whose face is blurred, says patients that young need parental consent for an abortion in Indiana.
The "patient" says she doesn't want to explain who the father is because he could get in trouble because he is so much older. In the video, which has breaks and cuts, the nurse initially says she does not want to know the father's age. When the girl reveals it, the nurse says a report needs to be filed with child welfare officials, but later suggests ways to lie about the father's age.
She then shows the girl a piece of paper, which Rose says indicated she could get an abortion in Illinois without parental consent.
Rose has done similar videos at Planned Parenthood sites in Los Angeles and said Indiana was among many states where the group was going under cover.
"In the vast majority of cases, you're going to find sexual abuse cover-up," Rose told The Herald-Times on Wednesday.
Betty Cockrum, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana, said the employee had been placed on unpaid suspension and that the organization was conducting an internal review.
Cockrum said Planned Parenthood places "incredible importance" on following the law that requires sexual acts between an adult and a child younger than 14 to be reported to police or child welfare officials.
"We are deeply concerned about the content of the video," she said. "While we cannot be certain whether this video has been altered, the apparent actions of the employee would be in violation of our strict policies and procedures."
