Indiana Right to Life, a pro-life group, held multiple press conferences across the state Wednesday in which it announced it was filing 48 complaints against Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky .
The Bloomington conference at the Monroe County Courthouse involved around 20 people, including state Sen. Erin Houchin, R-Salem and Martinsville Rep. Peggy Mayfield.
IRTL is claiming PPINK failed to report when young girls under the age of 16 received an abortion. Reporting those abortions to the Indiana Department of Health and the Department of Child Services is required by Indiana law, so authorities can investigate potential child sex abuse.
In Indiana, it’s a crime for a person over 18 to engage in any sexual activity with someone under the age of consent which is 16 years old. So if someone younger than 16-year-old is pregnant then it means illegal sexual activity was likely the cause and went, according to IRTL, unreported by Planned Parenthood.
At the Bloomington press conference Mike Fichter, president and CEO of IRTL, said there was no indication that any of these abortions were reported.
"If the investigations confirm these doctors were negligent in failing to report abortion on girls under the age of 16, we urge swift and strong action," Fichter said.
Press conferences took place in Indianapolis, Bloomington, Lafayette, Merrillville and South Bend, Indiana.
Speakers after Fichter compared PPINK's alleged failure to report with the #MeToo movement. By allowing these abortions to go under-reported, PPINK might be sending these people back into a dangerous or abusive relationship with family or friends who may have abused them and gotten them pregnant.
"At these young and vulnerable ages, sometimes as young as 12 years old, it's likely these pregnancies did not occur as part of legal and consensual activity," Houchin said.
Monica Siefker, Indiana Right to Life’s Bloomington affiliate, filed one of the Monroe County complaints and argued Planned Parenthood's failure to report could have resulted in children being sent back to abusive relationships.
"As prosecutor, this must be of grave concern to you," Siefker wrote in her complaint to Monroe County Prosecutor Chris Gaal. "That is why I am asking you to investigate and, if it is found that no reports were made, I am requesting that appropriate sanctions be imposed."
When the Indiana Daily Student reached out to PPINK for comment, Communications Director Ali Slocum explained she was at first "baffled" by the complaints. After reviewing the complaint, Slocum provided a statement in which she rejected the idea PPINK failed in its duty to report.
"We adhere to Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) reporting requirements and follow best public health practices to ensure that patients receive the help they need,” Slocum wrote in the statement. “We cooperate fully with all ISDH inspections and immediately address any issues that officials share with us. Our most recent routine ISDH inspection, conducted in March of 2018, confirmed that we are adhering to state reporting requirements for minors in our health centers.”
The 48 complaints have now been filed with Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill and ISDH. Prosecutors of Marion, Lake, Tippecanoe and Monroe counties have also been notified.
