Attorney General suggests Planned Parenthood of Montana abets human trafficking
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has accused one of the state’s most prominent abortion providers of falsifying records and “flagrantly” violating state law by withholding required reports about sexual assault against minors and statutory rape, suggesting that similar alleged inaction by the organization “could be happening with human trafficking victims.”
The first-term Republican attorney general’s comments in a July 31 radio interview echo a decade-old and recently resurfaced conspiracy theory suggesting that the national Planned Parenthood organization abets human trafficking. The interview was recirculated Monday by the news website Jezebel.
A spokesperson for the Montana Planned Parenthood affiliate blasted Knudsen’s allegations as “baseless” in a Tuesday email.
“Planned Parenthood of Montana providers and health center staff are mandatory reporters. We hold the health and safety of our patients above all else, and our health centers comply with all laws regarding reporting abuse,” said Mary Sullivan, communications coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Montana. “Baseless claims of violations from the Attorney General do not protect survivors of violence. These statements aren’t about prosecuting crimes but rather serve his political interests in undercutting health care and privacy for Montanans.”