Citizen Staff Writer
LAW AND ORDER REPORT
HEIDI ROWLEY
hrowley@tucsoncitizen.com
Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona is investigating an allegation that one of its Tucson employees did not report statutory rape of a teen asking about an abortion.
The allegation was made by Lila Rose, a UCLA student who filmed interactions with Planned Parenthood nurses across the country last summer.
Rose, who is president of Live Action Films, visited the Margaret Sanger Clinic, 2255 N. Wyatt Drive, last July.
Live Action released a video of the July visit Tuesday, the same day Planned Parenthood representatives were lobbying the state Legislature in Phoenix.
The six-minute video shows Rose’s friend, Jackie Stollar, posing as a 15-year-old impregnated by her 27-year-old boyfriend.
Before learning the boyfriend’s age, the nurse tells Stollar that she will have to go to court to get a judicial bypass to have an abortion without her parent’s permission.
When the nurse finds out the boyfriend is 27, she tells Stollar not to take him to the hearing. The video ends at that point.
The video is part of the Mona Lisa Project, for which Rose filmed the Planned Parenthood interactions. So far, only two other videos – both filmed at Indiana clinics – have been released.
Live Action’s Web site says the purpose of the Mona Lisa Project is to “lead to criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood, so that their business practices will be forced to comply with governing laws that protect young girls” and that it is “dedicated to the respect and protection of all human life.”
Live Action used hidden cameras in the filming, its Web site states.
Spokeswoman Joline Nestor said Planned Parenthood is investigating and hopes to look at the whole video.
“We’re not taking it lightly,” Nestor said. “It’s concerning to see something like this.”
However, she added, “It’s concerning with how choppy it is and we can’t tell what is going on.”
Rachel Chánes, vice president of community services for Planned Parenthood Arizona, said in a news release, “We are conducting an internal, fact-based review to ensure that all our high standards of care and legal obligations have been met.”
E-mail from Rose said the raw footage will not be released to Planned Parenthood or the media, but will be given to law enforcement authorities in Arizona.