Ohio High Court Endangers Minors in the Name of Privacy

Ohio High Court Endangers Minors in the Name of Privacy

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Yesterday the Ohio Supreme Court upheld an earlier decision that allows Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Ohio (PP) to keep secret their reports documenting whether or not PP is notifying authorities of instances of statutory rape of pregnant minors seeking abortion services at the Cincinnati clinic.

The Ohio Supreme Court heard arguments last October on this issue after granting a Motion for Rehearing which was brought by attorneys for Jane Roe.

In Roe v. Planned Parenthood, the parents of Roe allege PP employees breached their legal duties when they failed to notify the proper authorities of the young girl's sexual victimization by the 22-year-old male who brought her to the clinic. They further allege that PP violated Ohio's parental involvement laws by failing to notify or get consent from them before performing the abortion on their 14-year-old daughter.

Attorney for Jane Roe, Brian Hurley, states about the decision, "We respectfully disagree with and are disappointed in the decision. It allows Planned Parenthood, under the pretext of protecting privacy rights, to prevent anyone from reviewing its redacted records to determine the truth of what many people believe is Planned Parenthood's policy and practice of violating its duty to report suspected or known sexual abuse of minors. We believe that the protection Ohio provides to its sexually abused children has been significantly weakened and parents' rights to protect their children from abuse have been undermined. We agree with Judge Donovan's assessment that the decision is neither just nor reasonable.

"It is important to point out that the Court clearly stated that our clients may pursue all of their claims against Planned Parenthood and that we may obtain from Planned Parenthood through other forms of discovery the statistical data about the number of abortions performed and number of reports of sexual abuse that is needed to help prove those claims. We intend to do so, and we intend to win at trial."

Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a non-profit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens, committed to the sanctity of human life. LLDF is helping to fund Roe's case. For more information, call Dana Cody at 916.727.4396.