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American Morning
Interview with Gloria Feldt, Wendy Wright
Aired July 05, 2002 - 07:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In Des Moines, Iowa, the search for the mother of a newborn baby found in the trash has sparked a national legal debate. Planned Parenthood is defying a local court order to give investigators the names of women who got positive pregnancy tests at a clinic in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Now, does patients' privacy outweigh the pursuit of justice?
Joining us to debate that question this morning from New York is Gloria Feldt. She is president of Planned Parenthood. And from Washington, Wendy Wright, senior policy director of the group Concerned Women for America.
Ladies, thank you very much for coming and talking with us this morning about this really troubling story. Troubling, first of all, that a baby would be found in this kind of condition. But Ms. Feldt, the question that's always come up every time we discuss this in the news room has been why would Planned Parenthood under any circumstances not be willing to do whatever it took to find out who did this?
GLORIA FELDT, PRESIDENT, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Well, we want to help solve this horrible crime as much as anybody. But we're not going to violate our patients' medical privacy in order to do so. What the problem here is is that there is not an identified suspect and any time law enforcement comes to us with an identified suspect and a subpoena, of course we readily and willingly cooperate. But, you know, people come to Planned Parenthood believing that their medical records will be held in confidentiality and privacy, and we will hold to that.
This is an inquisition. This is not justice.
HARRIS: Ms. Wright, how about that? Doesn't it make sense, then, to just at least before you go to that step, before you throw open Pandora's box here, at least wait until a single suspect here is singled out?
WENDY WRIGHT, CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA: You know, if this were any other group that was making this argument, I probably would tend to agree. But unfortunately Planned Parenthood, their main motivation is more likely that they want to cover-up other illegal activity that they may be involved in. Planned Parenthoods have been caught all around the country in covering up and in assisting child abusers, people who have been molesting young girls...
FELDT: Wendy, that is a ridiculous statement. That is a ridiculous statement...
WRIGHT: And, in fact, if the local authorities...
FELDT: ... and you know it and it has nothing to do with the question at hand.
WRIGHT: ... were to come in and find that...
HARRIS: Just a minute...
WRIGHT: ... there had been a number of, say, 13, 14, 15 year olds that had positive pregnancy tests, that alone is evidence that some kind of abuse had been going on. And Planned Parenthood is required by law to notify the authorities that there may be, that this is evidence of, perhaps, a criminal activity taking place.
FELDT: Right.
WRIGHT: Planned Parenthoods across the country refuse to notify the authorities, even though they're required by law to do that.
HARRIS: All right, Ms. Feldt, please answer that.
FELDT: Planned Parenthood, of course, abides by the laws, which do vary from state to state in terms of notification. But this is a particular case. It is a horrible horrendous crime. We want to try to help in any way we can. But people go to medical facilities believing that their medical records are held in confidence unless there is some very compelling reason not to do so. And we will exhaust every legal remedy to be able to protect our patients' privacy.
HARRIS: Now, I want to ask this question, and I wish I could claim credit for having come up with this one by myself, but Daryn Kagan actually brought this one up when we were talking this morning about this topic. What proof is there even that this person -- if they don't even have a suspect singled out, what proof is there that Planned Parenthood has any record of this person? Why, I mean is it not possible that this woman went to a grocery store or a drug store somewhere...
FELDT: Of course.
HARRIS: ... and got one of those over the counter tests? So why is it to necessary to get the Planned Parenthood records?
FELDT: Of course. And furthermore, what we have learned is that the hospitals that have been asked to produce information have produced no private records at all. All they have provided, when they have provided anything, is information that's already public record, that is the record of live births.
So they're asking Planned Parenthood to do something they're not even asking others to do.
HARRIS: Now, how about that, Ms. Wright? Is...
WRIGHT: Well, let's remember that Planned Parenthood doesn't have any records of live births because Planned Parenthood doesn't deliver any babies. They only kill babies. And so they're really...
HARRIS: That...
WRIGHT: We have crocodile tears here on the part of Gloria, saying that she wants to help in any way, when, in fact, Planned Parenthood has killed millions of babies themselves. They're just as guilty as whoever killed this baby that was thrown in the trash.
HARRIS: That is a rather, that's a rather outrageous statement, I must say, as a neutral observer listening to this conversation.
WRIGHT: Well, as you know, abortion does kill children. In fact, Planned Parenthood has argued against a ban on partial birth abortion, which even abortion supporters...
FELDT: Planned Parenthood's...
WRIGHT: ... describe as close to infanticide.
FELDT: Planned Parenthood's mission, Wendy, Planned Parenthood's mission is to make sure that people have the medical services and the information to be able to make...
WRIGHT: And give inaccurate information.
FELDT: ... responsible childbearing choices, to have children when they want to, not to have children when they choose not to, primarily by preventing unintended pregnancy.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask...
WRIGHT: And Planned Parenthood gives inaccurate medical information that actually will cause young women to be involved in activity where they're more likely to get pregnant, they're more likely to get sexually transmitted diseases...
HARRIS: Let -- if I may...
WRIGHT: ... which then, of course, creates more clients for Planned Parenthood.
HARRIS: If I may interject here, I'd like to get back to the topic that we set out to talk about this morning, that being privacy, the privacy issue and what happens if this ruling that comes out of this case here in Iowa does open something of a Pandora's box. If it is established that these Planned Parenthood centers will have to be treated, I guess the same way as hospitals are in terms of having to open their records up this way, what exactly are the dangers that may be down the road if that does happen? FELDT: Well, every American should be able to feel secure that their medical records are private and certainly when there is a case like this, we all, everyone wants to try to help solve this crime. But you can't just ask any medical facility, whether it's Planned Parenthood or a doctor's office or a hospital, to basically ask every woman, which is what they have done, they've asked every woman who has had a pregnancy test that is positive since last August, to, in a virtual way, come out into the town square and either show their baby or show records that they have had a miscarriage or an abortion.
That is just, that is an inquisition. That is a major dragnet through the town. It's totally inappropriate and it's not the way to solve a crime.
HARRIS: Wendy Wright, I'll give you the final word. And, again, we'd like to talk about limited specifically to this issue with the privacy matter.
WRIGHT: Yes. And, in fact, Gloria shows she has so little respect for local authorities. She wouldn't, she's got to know that local authorities would not do something like this in order to embarrass anyone. They're trying to find the woman who's associated with this baby so that they can solve the crime.
FELDT: How do you know it's a woman, Wendy? How do you even know it's a woman?
WRIGHT: Well, obviously...
HARRIS: Perhaps it's a man.
WRIGHT ... in order to find someone who's connected to the baby, you first have go to the find the mother. Nobody is saying whether or not she's the one who threw the baby out with the trash. But in order to find out who did, let's find the person who's connected to the baby. Now, some other -- Gloria, you're obviously showing you don't know much about how to do an investigation. And so please, let the authorities do their job so that they can find the person who is responsible for this.
And particularly so that they can find this woman who's obviously going through some kind of emotional trauma. She needs help. Let the authorities find her so they can help her.
HARRIS: Ladies, obviously this is something we will not be able to solve this morning. We will be watching to see how this debate turns out.
Gloria Feldt and Wendy Wright, we thank you very much for your time and for your insights this morning.
FELDT: Thank you.
WRIGHT: Thank you.
HARRIS: No easy answers and no shortage of fireworks here on this, unfortunately.
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