A new undercover investigation of a late-term abortion facility in New Mexico is raising questions about whether it is reporting cases of suspected sexual abuse of minors to authorities.
In the latest undercover call by Abortion Free New Mexico and Priests for Life, an investigator posing as a minor calls Southwestern Women’s Options to ask about scheduling a late-term abortion., New
Southwestern is based in Albuquerque. It is one of the few abortion clinics in the United States that will abort an unborn baby for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy.
In the new audio recording, the caller tells the abortion center staff that she is 16 and was impregnated by an older family member. Listen to the call here.
Instead of urging the young woman to contact authorities, the staffer gives the young woman information about the state Medicaid office where she can ask about qualifying for a free, taxpayer-funded abortion, according to the pro-life groups.
The investigator also tells the abortion staffer that she is 26-weeks pregnant and does not want her parents to know about the abortion. The staffer responds by telling her that New Mexico does not require girls under 18 to inform their parents or obtain their consent before having an abortion.
The pro-life groups said abortion facilities have a duty to report suspected incest and other sexual abuse cases to authorities. They questioned whether Southwestern is doing so.
“This latest undercover call continues to rip the veil off the abortion industry and show our nation what even most ‘prochoice’ people oppose: late term abortion of healthy babies, paid for by taxpayers, and conducted by an industry which provides cover for sexual predators,” said Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. “What we need to know to end abortion is found in the abortion industry itself. We just need to continue exposing it, and we will.”
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Angelo Artuso, senior legal counsel for the state pro-life group, said medical professionals are mandatory reporters under New Mexico law.
“Under the mandatory reporting law (Section 32A-4-3A), physicians and nurses have a duty to report suspected child abuse. The law (Section 32A-4-2 I) provides that child abuse includes criminal sexual penetration, incest, OR criminal sexual contact,” Artuso explained.
Tara Shaver, spokeswoman for Abortion Free New Mexico, said sidewalk counselors have talked with several underage girls leaving the abortion clinic in the past few years. She said some of them come to avoid parental consent laws in their home states.
“The reality is that the New Mexico abortion cartel is more concerned about how much money they can make off of selling an abortion, especially lucrative late term abortions, instead of adhering to the laws that where passed to protect minors from sexual abuse,” she said. “We need enforcement of these laws in New Mexico and for our leaders to make sure that this illegal activity is fully investigated.”
In the latest call, the investigator was quoted the price $7,500 for her late-term abortion.
A few weeks ago, the same groups released another call where an undercover investigator asked about aborting a late-term unborn baby with Down syndrome. During the call, a Southwestern staffer coached the woman about how to apply for a taxpayer-funded abortion through Medicaid.
Notably, a U.S. Congressional panel recently recommended that Southwestern be criminally investigated for violating federal and state laws. The panel found evidence of potential violations involving the late-term abortion clinic’s handling of aborted babies’ body parts. The matter was referred to the New Mexico Attorney General’s office for further investigation.
