Planned Parenthood Could have Prevented 4 Rapes if it Had Followed the Law
By Cathi Herrod, President, Center for Arizona PolicyThis is one of those stories you hope to never hear.The indictment of Tyler Kost reads like a horror story. Over a span of four and a half years, it is alleged that Kost sexually abused and/or raped at least 11 different young girls, ages 12 to 17.What’s worse is that it appears Planned Parenthood Arizona could have prevented four of the young girls from being assaulted, but didn’t because it wasn’t worth the “hassle.”According to the police report, one of the victims became pregnant after the rape. Her mother brought her to a Planned Parenthood Arizona clinic on 12/31/13 and again on 1/4/14.According to the police report, the victim “disclosed the assault to a counselor at Planned Parenthood. The counselor intentionally miscoded the assault as a consensual assault. The counselor told them they did not want the hassle of having to report the assault to law enforcement as they were a mandatory reporter.”As a mandatory reporter, Arizona law requires Planned Parenthood to immediately report these cases to the authorities.From this point in time when Planned Parenthood allegedly broke Arizona’s mandatory reporting laws and the time Kost was arrested five months later, four more young girls allegedly were abused – three of them allegedly raped.If the allegations are true, then Arizona’s largest abortion provider’s refusal to perform its legally required duties and inform the authorities of a predator sexually assaulting this young girl caused these additional victims pain and suffering that they should have been spared.Furthermore, the young girl who received counseling from Planned Parenthood was led to believe that she’s not worth the “hassle” of going to the police for help and protection.There is a legal process that must now run its course. Yet the problem you and I can commit to solving today is this: every family should know that if tragedy were to strike, Planned Parenthood is not a safe or trusted organization from which to seek help.It’s simply tragic that in this dark moment, this family sought support from Planned Parenthood.We will be monitoring this situation closely.
