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Planned Parenthood Worker Fired, Retraining Ordered After Videos
Organization's CEO Addresses Controversy For First Time
POSTED: 4:13 pm EST December 19, 2008
UPDATED: 6:38 pm EST December 19, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS -- The CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana said claims that the organization covers up the sexual abuse of minors are untrue, despite two recent undercover videos an anti-abortion group said show otherwise.Betty Cockrum spoke for the first time publicly about the recent controversy on Friday, telling 6News' Derrik Thomas that two employees and a volunteer seen in the videos no longer work for the agency and that mandatory training has been ordered for all employees."I can't tell you how clear we are, up, down and sideways, that this is an incredibly important element that has to be reported and we're consistent about it," she said.The videos, released by the anti-abortion group Live Action Films, were filmed at two Indiana Planned Parenthood locations -- one in Bloomington and one in Indianapolis -- and show the group's spokeswoman, 20-year-old Lila Rose, posing as a 13-year-old girl pregnant by a 31-year-old man.In both videos, clinic workers are heard telling Rose that it doesn't matter that the fictitious father-to-be is much older, although Indiana law requires clinics to disclose the sexual abuse of minors."(We wanted) to expose the fact that Planned Parenthood in Indiana and across the country has been covering up the sexual abuse for young girls for years," Rose told Thomas in a phone interview this week.Planned Parenthood of Indiana has asked the group to provide them with all of the unedited videos so that officials can review the performance of other employees.A Marion County grand jury will also look at the raw video to determine if they include any legal violations."We're looking to see if any crimes were committed," said Marion County Chief Trial Deputy David Wyser. "We observed, from the video, one individual providing information and failing to report. We're going to take a look at the operation over there."Rose, who is a college student in California, said she would cooperate fully in the investigation.
Previous Stories:
- December 18, 2008: Grand Jury May Subpoena Planned Parenthood Video
- December 16, 2008: 2nd Video Reportedly Shows Planned Parenthood Ignoring Sexual Abuse
- December 11, 2008: Planned Parenthood Fires Aide Seen In Controversial Video
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