Danielle Cramer and Parental Notification
July 4th, 2007 by Peter
State residents learned last month of the horrific case of Danielle Cramer, the young Bloomfield runaway who was found in a West Hartford home after being missing for a year. The JI took a second look at the Cramer case–and the fact that CT is one of only a handful of states without a parental notication law. An excerpt:
At a time when Manchester state Rep. John W. Thompson is seeking middle ground on the emotionally charged issue of whether an underage girl should have to tell a parent before getting an abortion, the case of a runaway found in West Hartford has added volatility to the debate.
During a June 6 search of the West Hartford home of dog trainer Adam P. Gault, 41, police discovered the runaway, Danielle Cramer, 15, in a hidden storage space under a set of stairs. Cramer had been missing from her mother’s Bloomfield home for almost a year…
In a court document made public last week, two police detectives said Cramer disclosed after she was found that “she recently had an abortion at Planned Parenthood in West Hartford but would not disclose who the father was.”…
Those disclosures raise the possibility that a 15-year-old runaway was the victim of a statutory rape, became pregnant, and had a legal abortion without her parents finding out. Although Gault, Murphy, and Kimberly Cray, 26, who lived with them, have been charged with crimes in connection with Cramer’s year away from home, no one has been charged with sexual assault in the case.
Susan Lloyd Yolen, a vice president of Planned Parenthood of Connecticut, declines to comment on Cramer’s case on grounds that the organization “is committed to patient privacy and safety.”
…No way to check
But Yolen also says Planned Parenthood accepts at face value the names given to it by young patients. She says she doesn’t know what type of identification could be used for girls too young to have driver’s licenses.
The JI mentions the recent parental notification hearing in Hartford as well as something noted by FIC Blog following the hearing: the abortion industry opposes not only parental notification, but even a law that would require 16 year old girls to receive counseling before getting an abortion. More:
A Texas-based organization called Life Dynamics Inc. contends that Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation systematically evade “mandatory reporting” laws, which require doctors, nurses, counselors, and numerous other professionals to report child abuse, including at least some statutory rapes, to state officials.
Life Dynamics did an undercover survey, released in 2002, in which a woman called numerous abortion clinics around the country, including several in Connecticut, posing as a 13-year-old girl who was pregnant by her 22-year-old boyfriend.
Under policies of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, such a sexual relationship would be subject to mandatory reporting.
…Illegal sex concealed
“Even though many of these clinic workers openly acknowledged to our caller that this situation was illegal and that they were required to report it to the state, the overwhelming majority readily agreed to conceal this illegal sexual activity,” Mark Crutcher, president and founder of Life Dynamics, wrote in an article on the organization’s Web site.
The article has no lack of quotes from abortion industry spokespersons defending their position. But in light of the Danielle Cramer case, it is the quote from CT Right to Life’s Bill O’Brien that lingers: “lack of a parental notification or consent law is ‘really protecting the sexual predator.”‘
A appreciative salute to Brian Brown:
Brian Brown is a family man of integrity, guts and courage. He has led the fight for family values in our state, blazed some trails and took the heat that comes with taking a stance based on convictions. The team of Brian Brown and Peter Wolfgang has put the FIC on the map, but most importantly, become the voice for marriage and other family values. They have made great progress in the state legislature, establishing friendships with legislators who have shown enough courage to stand for what is right.
Brian and Peter have been able to bridge the gaps between denominations and faiths, uniting Christians, Jews, Muslims and others to support the cause of the family. The have cut through racial and cultural divisions like few leaders have. Speaking from experience, I know how difficult that is to accomplish.
God has chosen Brian to speak for the family, and I’m sure Brian acknowledges God’s hand in all that he has done. I’m sure God has led him in his new direction.
While this is a great loss for the FIC, the board has wisely chosen Peter Wolfgang as his successor. Peter Wolfgang is very capable and the perfect teammate for Brian. There’s no doubt that Peter has been instrumental in FIC’s accomplishments. His leadership and organizational skills are top notch.
I urge FIC supports to pray for Peter’s successor. Peter can only fill Brian’s shoes if the FIC can find the type of teammate similar to Peter. As the team of Brian and Peter have accomplished great things (with the help of many other supporters and, of course, God’s wisdom and anointing), it will require a similar team to continue the work that lies ahead.
Dave Lyon, 29th State Senate candidate,
Willimantic
Life Dynamics does some fabulous work and has been tracking cases like these for years. My 2 closest friends worked for this organization for a very long time and dealt with this issue specifically.
It is a travesty, that the rest of the country has been denied hearing the truth that Life Dynamics discovered by the liberal media. I encourage everyone to take a look at their website.
Opal