Former Planned Parenthood workers have been reporting what happens behind closed doors at Planned Parenthood for years, but major media outlets continue to ignore them. Now, a jury has unanimously awarded a Planned Parenthood whistleblower $3 million in damages two years after she sued the organization for wrongful termination. Mayra Rodriquez, a former health center administrator of Planned Parenthood in Arizona, was fired after reporting to superiors a variety of fraudulent and negligent activity that was endangering patients.
Rodriguez oversaw three Planned Parenthood facilities in Arizona and worked for the organization for 15 years, even earning Employee of the Year. She eventually began reporting illegal and dangerous conduct she was aware of, as well as large numbers of abortion complications resulting from procedures committed by a Planned Parenthood abortionist. She also reported the organization’s falsification of affidavits and patient records, incomplete abortions, and failure to report statutory rape — which Planned Parenthood is required to do by law.
“By early-to-mid August 2017, Ms. Rodriguez noticed a trend of PPA clinician written reports detailing patients who were suffering from substantial post-abortion surgical complications or problems such as extensive bleeding and painful cramping,” the complaint against Planned Parenthood states. “The reports […] also documented several patients suffering from perforated uteruses which had been diagnosed by emergency room physicians throughout the metro area. Ms. Rodriguez determined that a single PPA doctor, fictitiously named herein as ‘Dr. X,’ had performed the abortion surgeries on each of these patients who had reported the foregoing substantial post-abortion surgery complications or problems.”
READ: Planned Parenthood dominates abortion market in Arizona while losing patients overall
Concerned that patients of Dr. X were experiencing “more substantial post-abortion surgery complications and problems than the patients who underwent abortion surgery by or with the other PPA physicians” Rodriquez reported her concerns. She was told that upper management “all know what he [Dr. X] does but nobody wants to do anything about it.”
In addition, medical assistants were complaining that Dr. X was having them sign after-abortion paperwork stating that the abortion was complete and all fetal body parts were accounted for before the abortion had even begun. Medical assistants also expressed concerns to Rodriguez about another abortionist called “Dr. Y” who they said was “belligerent, threatening, rude, unprofessional, and uncivil.”
After Rodriguez reported all of these concerns, she was given a final written warning stating she was underperforming at her job – which based on previous reviews was untrue. Then she says she was accused of keeping narcotics in her desk and was promptly fired. She also claims Planned Parenthood — despite its public stance of purporting to fight for undocumented immigrants — attempted to use her status as an undocumented immigrant against her.
Live Action has reported on the corporation’s aiding of sexual abusers in a video docuseries:
According to Life Site News, Rodriguez’s attorney did not ask the jury for a specific dollar amount — yet after just three hours of deliberation, the jury decided Planned Parenthood owed her $3 million in damages. During court proceedings, Rodriguez says Planned Parenthood representatives pinned her as a liar because of her immigration status.
“But here we are,” said Rodriguez. “The jury heard the truth.”
“I hope my case is a lesson to other workers that shows them that the truth will prevail,” she continued. “I also hope my case is a lesson to employers who abuse their power: sometimes the underdog wins and justice will be done.”
During her time fighting Planned Parenthood, Rodriquez turned to the organization And Then There Were None, founded by former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson. The organization helps former abortion workers share their stories and find new jobs.
READ: New California law protecting Planned Parenthood may “silence whistleblowers”
“When Mayra came to And Then There Were None with her incredible story, I felt solidarity with her, having gone through a similar situation when I worked for Planned Parenthood,” said Johnson. “Standing with her through the trial and rejoicing in the ultimate victory has been amazing.”
Planned Parenthood receives half a billion taxpayer dollars annually, and has come under fire for Medicaid fraud, for discriminating against pregnant employees, for aiding sexual abusers, for giving women medical misinformation, for willingness to aid sex traffickers, for willingness to commit sex-selective abortions, and more.
Editor’s Note 8/19/19: Minor changes and additions were made to this article after Live Action News received the formal complaint by Ms. Rodriguez against Planned Parenthood.
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