Indiana targets abortion doctor, claiming she violated Ohio girl's privacy
The Republican Indiana attorney general is going after a hospital where Dr. Caitlin Bernard works, saying that she violated a patient's rights by describing the story of a 10-year-old rape victim that was pregnant. Bernard never identified the girl.
It is one of several attempts that anti-choice AG Todd Rokita has used to go after the doctor. The state has strict abortion laws after legal battles failed.
The AG claims in the suit, "Neither the 10-year-old nor her mother gave the doctor authorization to speak to the media about their case.
"The lawsuit named Indiana University Health and IU Healthcare Associates. It alleged the hospital system violated HIPPA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and a state law for not protecting the patient’s information," said NBC News.
The head of the Indiana Medical Licensing Board called Bernard a "good doctor" but reprimanded her for violating the federal privacy and state confidentiality laws of the 10-year-old.
"I think she's a good doctor and I think she's safe to go back to practice," board president Dr. John Strobel said at the time.