Investigative

Ohio Planned Parenthood accused of failure to report sexual abuse ends case in private settlement

Hopefully they do the right thing next time…

The Life Legal Defense Foundation has seen a victory for a victim of Planned Parenthood’s failure to abide by sexual abuse reporting law. According to Life Legal Defense Foundation, the case, Denise Fairbanks v. Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region et al., named Planned Parenthood in its failure to report abuse being committed by Denise Fairbanks’ father.

The father sexually abused Denise from age 13. At age 16, Denise’s father took her to a Planned Parenthood clinic after impregnating her. Planned Parenthood failed to report the abuse even though the staff was informed by Denise that she was being forced to have sex. Denise’s basketball coach finally reported the abuse, and her father was jailed.

Fairbanks was represented by Brian Hurley, an attorney from the law firm Crabbe, Browne & James LLP, according to LifeNews.com. According to Hurley, the case has been resolved and dismissed.

The Life Legal Defense Foundation reports a few outcomes of the case (from the original press release):

  • A confirmation that in Ohio, all abortion providers must obtain the written consent of at least one of a minor’s parents before an abortion can be performed on a minor.
  • An amendment to Ohio law establishing that minors who are the victims of sexual abuse have the right to bring claims in civil action against those individuals who breach their duty to report the abuse.
  • An amendment to Ohio law establishing that minors who are victims of sexual abuse have the right to seek punitive damages in civil actions to punish individuals and entities who breach their duty to report the abuses.
  • The finding by a nationally renowned pro-choice psychologist that girls and women who have had abortions can, and often do, suffer from long-term serious psychological problems as a result of abortions, something which Planned Parenthood continues to adamantly deny.
  • A confirmation that under Ohio law, girls and young women whose “informed consent” rights have been violated by abortion providers may seek injunctive relief in civil actions to prevent the abortion providers from violating those rights of other girls and women.

Dana Cody, executive director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation, noted, “This is just one of multiple cases that have demonstrated Planned Parenthood’s willingness to cover for sex offenders. What this young women when through is horrifying enough. She was forcibly raped, impregnated, forced to have an abortion, and then sent back for more abuse – a tragedy that Planned Parenthood could have prevented by simply complying with the law.”

What is Live Action News?

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective. Learn More

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

GUEST ARTICLES: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated. (See here for Open License Agreement.) Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!



To Top