INDIANAPOLIS, BLOOMINGTON, LAFAYETTE, MERRILLVILLE and SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Today, concerned Hoosier mothers and other pro-life activists are holding five news conferences throughout Indiana regarding Indiana abortion doctors and child sex abuse. Indiana law requires reporting of abortions on girls under 16 to the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) and the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) within three days of the abortion so that authorities can investigate potential child sex abuse.
Forty-eight consumer complaints have been filed against nine Indiana abortion doctors who have allegedly failed to follow the legal reporting requirements to protect young children from sex abuse. The doctors are: Jeffrey Glazer, Caitlin Bernard, Cassandra Cashman, Carol Dellinger, Mandy Gittler, Kathleen Glover, Martin Haskell, Resad Pasic and Sarah Turner. They are employed at all licensed Indiana abortion facilities: Women's Med Center in Indianapolis, Clinic for Women in Indianapolis, and Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis, Lafayette, Bloomington and Merrillville.
Some of the girls under 16 years old who had abortions that weren't reported to DCS were as young as 12 and 13. The alleged 48 instances of failure to report occurred since July 1, 2017. The 48 consumer complaints have been filed with Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill and the Indiana State Department of Health. The Marion, Lake, Tippecanoe and Monroe county prosecutors have also been notified.
The pro-life community is especially concerned with the apparent non-reporting of underage abortions by abortion doctor Glazer. Glazer has 11 complaints filed against him, including for not notifying
DCS of an abortion on a 12-year-old girl. Glazer was recently listed as the medical director for Whole Women's Health Alliance's proposed abortion facility in South Bend. The state denied its license application citing poor character and integrity of that company.
In Indiana, it's a crime for a person 18 or over to engage in any sexual activity with a child under age 16. Indiana lawmakers clarified state reporting requirements in 2017, instructing abortion doctors to report all abortions on girls under 16 to ISDH and DCS within three days of the abortion. Prior to July 1, 2017, state law explicitly required the reporting of abortions on girls under 14.
The five news conferences today throughout Indiana will share information about every licensed abortion facility in Indiana and the facility in South Bend that applied for an Indiana abortion license. The news conference schedule is as follows:
8:30 a.m. EDT - Monroe County Courthouse, Bloomington, Ind.
9 a.m. EDT - outside of Lafayette Planned Parenthood
11:00 a.m. EDT - in the North Atrium of the State Capitol Building, Indianapolis
12:00 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. CDT - outside Merrillville Planned Parenthood
2:30 p.m. EDT - easement across from Whole Woman's Health in South Bend
Two additional complaints are also being filed against Lafayette's Planned Parenthood for reporting two surgical abortions; Lafayette is only permitted to do chemical abortions.
"In the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, we're demanding answers and action," said
Cathie Humbarger, Vice President of Policy Enforcement for Indiana Right to Life. "The 48 complaints represent a widespread problem throughout Indiana's abortion industry. These nine abortion doctors must be held accountable. Their alleged negligence has further victimized the children suffering at the hands of their perpetrators. We call on the Indiana Medical Licensing Board, the Indiana State Department of Health and local prosecutors to take appropriate action against these abortion doctors, including review of their medical licenses and fines for each non-report. Possible cover-up of child sexual abuse cannot be tolerated. An immediate suspension of licenses for abortion facilities may be in order pending a complete investigation."
"In recent years, Indiana has made significant legislative changes aimed at protecting the most vulnerable in our state - including young girls under the age of 16 who seek to have an abortion," said
Ind. Sen. Erin Houchin (District 47),
author of 2017 law on reporting requirements. "When these minors obtain abortions, it is critical for their cases to be referred to and investigated by the appropriate agencies to determine if any illegal activity took place, and if these young girls were victimized or are in danger in any way. Alleged failures to report cases to the DCS and ISDH are negligent and frightening, and must be investigated."
"In 2008, Live Action Films released undercover video footage showing the Bloomington Planned Parenthood seemingly ignore state reporting laws for statutory rape," said
Monica Siefker, of Indiana Right to Life's Bloomington affiliate. "Fast-forward to 2018 where it appears that Planned Parenthood, the state's largest abortion provider, is failing to follow the law yet again by the non-reporting of abortions performed on underage girls to proper authorities. Not only does Planned Parenthood have a grave disrespect for the lives of the unborn, but apparently they also appear to have contempt for young girls."
"We think it is outrageous that the abortion facilities in our state would put young girls at risk, sending them back to unknown kinds of abuse," said
Tippecanoe County Right to Life President Kevin Niebrugge. "We are also praying that innocent young girls can be rescued from abusive situations, and ask that all of Indiana join us in a prayer to God for their safety."
"The alleged failure of these abortion doctors to protect young girls from sexual abuse is evidence that the abortion industry cares more about profits than they do about their patients," said
Marc Tuttle, President of Right to Life of Indianapolis. "Sexually irresponsible men have always used abortion to avoid the consequences of exploiting women and it appears every abortion business in the state has enabled that disgusting behavior."
"It is sad that even one of these girls might be a victim of sexual trafficking or sexual abuse," said
Lynne Scherschel, Vice President of the Lake County Right to Life Board of Directors. "It is truly unconscionable that if no report was made resulting in no investigation, then Planned Parenthood may have sent one or more of these children right back into an abusive situation."
"The average age for a child to be groomed is 11 years old; the average age for a child to be taken into trafficking is 15," said Crista Miller, Founding Director of Giving Teens Grace, Inc., an Indiana nonprofit. "We have to step up and protect the children of Indiana with bold and immediate action against any clinic or staff found not reporting underage abortions."
"By doing abortions on girls as young as 12 years of age and allegedly not reporting correctly Dr. Jeffrey Glazer has continued to show his disregard for the health and well being of girls and women," said Jodi Smith, central Indiana resident who filed complaints against Glazer. "We have deep concerns about him doing abortions in Indianapolis and being the medical director for the abortion business attempting to open in South Bend."
"St. Joseph County Right to Life stands firm to protect the health and safety of minors at risk of sexual abuse in our community," said
Antonio Marchi, Program Director of St. Joseph County Right to Life. "We urge the Attorney General and the State Department of Health to hold Whole Woman's Health Alliance and Dr. Jeffrey Glazer accountable when it comes to upholding proper standards of care and adhering to a reasonable obligation to protect these young girls."
Indiana Right to Life's mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.
