THE O’REILLY FACTOR:
Planned Parenthood in Arizona is under fire for failing to report the sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl
By Bill O’Reilly on the Fox News Network
Interview with James Hart,
January 9, 2003O’REILLY: In the "Impact" segment tonight, an Arizona judge has ruled that Planned Parenthood was negligent for failing to report to child protective services an abortion it set up for a 13-year-old girl who was living in a foster home. Sex with any minor, of course, is statutory rape. Planned Parenthood would not explain itself to us.
Joining us now from Phoenix is the attorney for the girl, whose name we are withholding, James Hart. All right, now, this is a really, really sordid case here. You got a 13-year-old girl that goes into Planned Parenthood, has an abortion. Planned Parenthood did not tell anybody. And by state law, they are -- they have to, they’re compelled to do so, right, counselor?
JAMES HART, ATTORNEY FOR RAPED GIRL: That’s correct. We have a state statute, as most states do, that require anyone giving care to a child to report any incidents that they have reasonable cause to believe occurred involving child molestation, sexual contact with a minor...
O’REILLY: All right.
HART: ... and sexual intercourse.
O’REILLY: So it’s a state law. All right. So the girl goes in...
HART: It’s a state law.
O’REILLY: ... Planned Parenthood gets her an abortion, 13, nobody knows about it, state doesn’t know about it, nobody knows about it, OK? Then the girl comes back a second time. Is this correct?
HART: Six months later, the same perpetrator again impregnated her. And she came back to the same clinic and had to go through a second abortion, and she had to go through six months of this continued abuse because Planned Parenthood did not report it the first time.
O’REILLY: All right. Now, the perpetrator is a fos -- another fos -- person in -- 24-year-old, is that it?
HART: He was a 23-year-old who she called her foster brother. He was the natural son of the foster parents that the court had -- or the child protective services had sent her to. And she had been there for several years.
O’REILLY: All right. So she’s living in a foster home, 23-year-old guy in there, OK? She’s 13. He’s impregnating her twice. Now, after the second time, Planned Parenthood did report it, correct?
HART: After some days they did report it to CPS, who contacted the Glendale Police Department, who arrested the perpetrator. He confessed, entered a guilty plea, and is now in prison.
O’REILLY: All right. Planned Parenthood, why were they not charged for the first go-around not reporting?
HART: I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question. That would be have -- would have to be a question you’d have to pose to the Glendale Police Department or the county’s attorney’s office.
O’REILLY: All right. Maricopa County, and didn’t you ask them, or did you do any investigation? We called them, you know. Everybody’s running on this one counselor, you know that. Planned Parenthood is running, Maricopa County’s running, everybody’s running.
HART: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
O’REILLY: Did you ever investigate why they didn’t charge Planned Parenthood?
HART:In order for me to represent Jane Doe, I had to file pleadings with the Maricopa County Juvenile Court, which set forth all the facts, set forth all the allegations, I should say, and at that point in time, a representative from the state county attorney responded, her various guardians responded. And they’ve had knowledge of this for quite some time.
O’REILLY: So it’s basically that the authorities knew, and they simply would not charged Planned Parenthood, and we don’t know the reason why.
HART: I do not know the reason why, or if charges were ever contemplated.
O’REILLY: All right. Now, in your deposition, I hope you get that and then call us and let us know, because the district attorney of Maricopa County -- who is that, by the way? Do you know who the DA is there?
HART: Richard Romley (ph) is the county attorney there.
O’REILLY: All right, Richard Romley, I mean, you know, we’ll call him again and see if he can give us an answer. But, you know, as I said, they’re running for cover. But you can get that information in a deposition.
So now you are suing Planned Parenthood, correct?
HART: Correct.
O’REILLY: All right. What are you asking for? And is it national or just the local you’re suing?
HART: It’s the Arizona chapter of Planned Parenthood. And we have not alleged any specific amount. We just want fair compensation for the damages she suffered for having to undergo that six months of continued molestation and the psychological damages she’s going to suffer the rest of her life. And the physical damages, we don’t even know what they are yet, because those things don’t manifest until a woman is older.
O’REILLY: All right. She’s 17 years old now, correct?
HART: Correct.
O’REILLY: And in your opinion, what kind of mental state is she in? Because obviously you are doing a battery of testing on her.
HART: She’s doing fairly well under the circumstances. We have filed with the court psychological reports on her condition now, and of course, through her being a ward of the court and the state, she had ongoing psychological testing and tests, and she as doing pretty good.
O’REILLY: All right. Where is she? Is she in another foster home?
HART: She’s in a group foster home.
O’REILLY: And next year she will be 18 and that’s the end. Then she’ll be an adult and put out, correct?
HART: Correct.
O’REILLY: All right. When is this going to be heard, do you know? Because we’re going to follow this case. This is an interesting case, because Planned Parenthood, unfortunately, has done this before in other parts of the country and not been held accountable. And you’re going to hold them accountable. So when is this going to be heard?
HART: We have a hearing next month to set a trial date in this matter. I don’t know when the trial is going to be yet.
O’REILLY: All right. Keep us posted. We’d really like to know why the district attorney of Maricopa County did not indict Planned Parenthood officials, because they clearly violated the law in this case, leading to more pain and suffering for a lot of people, the two fetuses and the little girl, that’s for sure.
Counselor, thanks very much, we appreciate it.
HART: Thank you.
O’REILLY: Plenty more ahead as THE FACTOR moves along this evening.
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