Does Planned Parenthood Profit From Sexual Assault?

Content Warning: The following article discusses instances of sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.

Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion and contraception provider in America, proudly claims to “fight against sexual assault” on its official action fund website. Around one million women went to the controversial clinic for an abortion in 2023.

However, certain court documents have resurfaced, causing anxiety within the abortion community. Does Planned Parenthood truly fight against sexual assault, or does it profit from and enable it?

In 2017, 18-year-old Arizonan Tyler Kost was sentenced to 3 years in prison after being found guilty of having sexually abused eleven underage girls. One particular victim, a 15-year-old girl, became pregnant from the alleged assault.

Under Arizona law, an abortion facility is required to report a pregnancy under the age of consent- this was not done. The assault was miscoded as a “consensual encounter”.

Several of Kost’s victims have moved out of Arizona and one reportedly “doesn’t eat anymore”, according to a police report. Many of his victims described him as being menacing and violent, commanding them to lay still and allow themselves to be violated.

Had Planned Parenthood workers reported the assault, Kost could have been charged before assaulting more victims. He was only charged in 2017, 3 years after the earlier victim's abortion.

In 2004 in Ohio, a 16-year-old girl was taken to Planned Parenthood for an abortion after having been sexually assaulted for years by her father, John Banks.

Upon arrival, the girl informed the workers that she was being forced to have sex. They did not inform the authorities as it is required by law, nor did they interfere in the paternal abuse she was suffering from.

After her abortion, she continued to be assaulted for nearly two years until her father was charged and imprisoned after being reported by her basketball coach. She pursued the clinic in justice and Planned Parenthood eventually settled the case, but according to the victim herself, they “did everything possible” to “defeat” her claims.

Mandated reporting laws exist for a reason—they are designed to create a safety net for the most vulnerable, ensuring cases like this do not happen. When institutions like Planned Parenthood neglect these duties, they don't just overlook a bureaucratic obligation; they actively erode the trust society places in these safety nets meant to protect our children. Each overlooked case is a missed opportunity to break the cycle of abuse and prevent further harm.

Once again in Ohio in 2004, a certain 14-year-old “Jane Roe” was impregnated by her soccer coach, 21-year-old John Haller. He took her to an abortion clinic in Southwest Ohio. Under Ohio law, she would have needed parental consent for the abortion and being under the age of consent, the clinic should have notified the authorities for suspected sexual abuse- neither were done. She lied to workers and told them she had been impregnated by her classmate and that her parents consented. Planned Parenthood made no efforts to verify her claims and after the abortion, she was returned to her rapist and continued to be abused.

Once John Haller was convicted, “Jane’s” parents pursued legal action against Planned Parenthood for covering the abuse of their daughter.

According to court documents, in Washington in 2017, George Savannah repeatedly raped his daughter and impregnated her at 14, 16 and 17. For each of those times, she was taken to get an abortion, and the clinic failed to report her sexual abuse to authorities. Her father was only convicted after the victim spoke to a relative about the abuse, who then reported it.

George Savannah was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to which he appealed.

In 2012, a 13-year-old girl in Colorado was impregnated by her stepfather, Timothy Smith, and brought in for an abortion. Not a single clinic worker tried to verify her relation to Smith or the conditions of her pregnancy. The abuse only ended when the victim reported it to her mother.

In California in 2010, Edgar Ramirez raped and impregnated his 13-year-old daughter twice, resulting in two abortions. The clinic did not report either one. In 2011, he was sentenced to life in prison after the victim spoke out about her abuse.

Planned Parenthood promotes itself as a champion for victims of sexual assault, proudly displaying its commitment to fighting abuse on its official platforms. Yet, a disturbing pattern emerges when you take a look at these countless court cases and victim accounts: instead of aiding victims, the organization may have failed to fulfill its legal and moral duty to report suspected sexual violence.

These failures have not only perpetuated cycles of abuse but also undermined the trust placed in an institution claiming to protect women and girls.

In case after case, victims—including minors—were sent back into the arms of their abusers, while Planned Parenthood profited from their trauma.

As these stories resurface, they demand more than outrage—they demand sweeping reforms to ensure no more victims are failed, silenced, or exploited under the guise of "reproductive healthcare". Without transparency and accountability, the organization’s credibility as a defender of women remains deeply compromised.

Editors' Note: Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pro Life Journal or its staff.