Abortion Practitioners Fail to Report Abortions on Raped Girls Under 14-Years-Old

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 25, 2013   |   11:59AM   |   Indianapolis, IN

An Indiana abortion practitioner received national attention in September when pro-life groups digging through state records discovered that he failed to file a timely report on the abortion he did on a 13-year-old girl who was victimized by statutory rape.

Now, a new report about abortion practitioners statewide shows he’s not alone. At least four Indiana-based abortion doctors waited weeks of even months to report abortions they did on girls under the age of 14, who are victims of rape.

State law requires such reports three days following the abortion to protect girls from sexual abuse and victimization, but the report by the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel newspaper makes it clear there is a massive abuse of the system taking place as abortion clinics cover up rape to make money from abortions.

State records reveal that the doctor who appears to have ignored the law most often is the sole abortion practitioner in St. Joseph County, who also works at clinics doing abortions in Allen and Lake counties.

Doctors in the state have reported at least 12 abortions to girls under 14 since July 2011, records show. But in seven of those cases, the doctors did not file reports until several weeks — in one incident, it was six months — after the procedure. In two other cases, it was unclear when the reports were filed because state records are incomplete.

The reports came from St. Joseph, Allen, Monroe, Marion and Lake counties. The Tribune obtained them through public records requests. The reports include the first half of 2013 for St. Joseph County, but complete 2013 data for other counties is not yet available.

Prosecutors and child safety advocates say timely reporting of young teen abortions is critical to the investigations of possible abuse.

“What we know is that some sex offenders have more than one victim,” said Jennifer Pickering, spokeswoman for Prevent Child Abuse St. Joseph County. “The sooner the opportunity arises to investigate, the sooner DCS can get involved and the sooner you can assure that girl is safe and determine if there are any other victims.”

At least three abortions since 2011 performed by Dr. Ulrich Klopfer, the only abortion provider in St. Joseph County, were reported well past the three-day window, according to Department of Health reports.

In one case, he performed an abortion on a 13-year-old girl at the South Bend Women’s Pavilion on Jan. 25, 2013, but state records disclose that the procedure wasn’t reported until July 25, six months later. The girl was in high school and nine weeks pregnant, according to Klopfer’s estimates on the report.

Klopfer, an Illinois-based doctor who provides abortions in Lake, St. Joseph and Allen counties, has formal complaints against him for failing to immediately report two other abortions provided to girls under 14 — one in Lake County in 2012 and another in Allen County in 2013. Both were 13-year-old girls, and both were 11 weeks pregnant, according to the terminated pregnancy reports.

Allen County Right to Life, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, filed complaints in Seotember with the Indiana Attorney General’s office and the Indiana Medical Licensing Board.

The report shows that a 13-year-old had an abortion performed by Dr. Ulrich Klopfer, of the Fort Wayne Women’s Health Organization abortion facility, on February 7. The Indiana Department of Health reported receiving the report on July 25, not within three days of the abortion procedure as specified by law.

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ACRTL’s Cathy Humbarger told LifeNews that her group filed complaints along with sidewalk counselor Evelyn Witte.

“It’s heartbreaking to learn that a 13-year-old became pregnant and now must live with the pain of an abortion for the rest of her life, but it’s doubly-heartbreaking that Dr. Klopfer’s failure to report the abortion may have allowed the girl’s molester to walk free,” she said.

“In Indiana, sex with a person under 14 is recognized as child molesting, regardless of the male’s age. No 13-year-old should have their childhood ripped out from under them like this young girl had. I call on the Attorney General to immediately investigate Dr. Klopfer’s failure to report this abortion. Sadly, this is not the first time I have filed a complaint over Klopfer’s failure to report an abortion on a 13-year-old within the time frame required by law yet he still practices today. His failure to report is appalling,” she continued.