Indiana doctor faces discipline hearing over 10-year-old Ohio girl's abortion
An Indiana board is set to hear allegations that an Indianapolis doctor should face disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio
![Abortion Indiana](https://static.the-independent.com/2023/05/25/07/Abortion_Indiana_87760.jpg)
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Your support makes all the difference.An Indiana board is set to hear allegations Thursday that an Indianapolis doctor should face disciplinary action after she spoke publicly about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio.
The Medical Licensing Boardās hearing comes after Indiana's Republican attorney general accused Dr. Caitlin Bernard of violating state law by not reporting the girlās child abuse to Indiana authorities. She's also accused of breaking federal patient privacy laws by telling a newspaper reporter about the girlās treatment.
Bernard and her attorneys maintain that the doctor followed Indianaās child abuse reporting requirements as the girlās rape was already being investigated by Ohio authorities. Bernardās lawyers also say she didnāt release any identifying information about the girl that would break privacy laws.
The Indianapolis Star cited the girlās case in a July 1 article that sparked a national political uproar in the weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, putting into effect an Ohio law that prohibited abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Some news outlets and Republican politicians falsely suggested Bernard fabricated the story, until a 27-year-old man was charged with the rape in Columbus, Ohio.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokitaās complaint asked the licensing board to impose āappropriate disciplinary actionā but doesnāt specify a requested penalty.
The Indiana board ā made up of six doctors and one attorney appointed by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb ā could vote whether to impose any penalties Thursday after hearing what is expected to be several hours of testimony. State law gives the board wide latitude, allowing it to issue reprimand letters or suspend, revoke or place on probation a doctorās license.
Amid the wave of attention to the girlās case last summer, Rokita, who is stridently anti-abortion, told Fox News he would investigate Bernardās actions, calling her an āabortion activist acting as a doctor.ā
āThis case is about two things ā and two things only ā patient privacy and this doctorās failure to protect this child,ā he said in a statement this week.
Ohioās law imposing a near-ban on abortion was in effect for about two months before being put on hold as a lawsuit against it plays out.
Bernard unsuccessfully tried to block Rokitaās investigation last fall, although an Indianapolis judge wrote that Rokita made āclearly unlawful breachesā of state confidentiality laws with his public comments about investigating the doctor before filing the medical licensing complaint against her.
Bernard lawyer Kathleen DeLaney has called the complaint against the doctor ābaseless attacksā done at taxpayer expense.
āRokitaās actions set a dangerous precedent imperiling the provision of lawful patient care,ā DeLaney has said.