Indiana’s top prosecutor on Wednesday asked the state’s medical board to discipline an Indiana doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who was pregnant beyond that state’s six-week abortion ban.
Attorney General Todd Rokita accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of “violating a patient’s privacy rights” and the obligation to immediately report child abuse to Indiana authorities.
Rokita, a Republican, has been investigating whether Dr. Bernard followed state law requiring doctors to report abortions. Public records showed Dr. Bernard reported the 10-year-old’s abortion two days after it was performed—within the required window.
The Indiana Attorney General’s office has asked the state’s medical licensing board to determine the appropriate penalty for Dr. Bernard, ranging from a letter of reprimand to permanently revoking her medical license.
Bernard’s lawyer Kathleen DeLaney said in a statement Wednesday that her client had complied with all reporting requirements and had discussed the child’s case “within the bounds of applicable privacy laws.”
