The Indiana physician who provided abortion services to a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was raped disclosed the abortion in a form filed with the Indiana Department of Health and the Department of Child Services, according to records obtained by IndyStar through a public records request.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and some news outlets have called into question whether Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the Indianapolis OB-GYN who performed the procedure, properly reported the disturbing case, which has become a flashpoint in the national debate over abortion.
“We’re gathering the evidence as we speak, and we’re going to fight this to the end, including looking at her licensure,” Rokita said Wednesday on Fox News. “If she failed to report it in Indiana, it’s a crime for — to not report, to intentionally not report.”
Indiana law requires health care providers to report abortions they perform to the Indiana Department of Health, including whether the patient indicated they were seeking an abortion as a result of being abused, coerced, harassed or trafficked. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor.
Bernard filed the required abortion disclosure, known as a “terminated pregnancy” form, on July 2, two days after she performed the girl’s abortion, according to a copy of the form IndyStar received Thursday from the state health department. State law requires the forms to be filed within three days for patients under age 16.
The form shows Bernard indicated the girl was seeking an abortion as a result of being abused.
Columbus police have arrested a 27-year-old man who they say confessed to raping the child.
Kathleen Delaney, an attorney for Bernard, sent the following statement.
“My client, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, took every appropriate and proper action in accordance with the law and both her medical and ethical training as a physician,” Delaney wrote in an email. “She followed all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations in this case, just as she does every day to provide the best possible care for her patients. She has not violated any law, including patient privacy laws, and she has not been disciplined by her employer. We are considering legal action against those who have smeared my client, including Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, and know that the facts will all come out in due time.”
This story will be updated.
Source Article from https://www.indystar.com/story/news/health/2022/07/14/ohio-abortion-10-year-old-indiana-todd-rokita-dr-caitlin-bernard/65373626007/
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