Indiana attorney general sues hospital over 10-year-old rape victim’s abortion

Indiana’s lawyer general, Todd Rokita, is suing the largest infirmary strategy successful the state, alleging the mishandling of a lawsuit involving a 10-year-old rape unfortunate who got an termination done 1 of its doctors – a lawsuit that made headlines crossed the state successful the days aft the US ultimate tribunal overturned Roe v Wade.

In a suit filed connected Friday, Rokita alleged that Indiana University Health wrongly said that Dr Caitlin Bernard, who talked astir the 10-year-old’s lawsuit to journalists, had not violated diligent privateness laws. Indiana University Health had told media outlets that, aft reviewing Bernard’s case, it had determined that she had been “in compliance with privateness laws”, according to the lawsuit. However, the Indiana Medical Licensing Board aboriginal recovered that Bernard had breached diligent privateness laws. (The committee besides concluded that she was acceptable to signifier medicine.)

“At IU Health, we clasp ourselves accountable each time for providing prime healthcare and securing privateness for our patients,” Indiana University Health said successful a connection to the Guardian. “We proceed to beryllium disappointed the Indiana Attorney General’s bureau persists successful putting the state’s constricted resources toward this matter.”

On Monday, conscionable 3 days aft Rokita filed the lawsuit, the Indiana ultimate tribunal disciplinary committee filed a ailment against Rokita. The committee alleges that Rokita’s comments to the media connected the 10-year-old’s lawsuit amounted to misconduct. Specifically, the ailment cited an quality connected Fox News wherever Rokita called Bernard an “abortion activistic acting arsenic a doc – with a past of nonaccomplishment to report.”

That remark violated confidentiality restrictions, the Indiana ultimate tribunal disciplinary committee said. The committee asked the Indiana ultimate tribunal for Rokita to beryllium “disciplined arsenic warranted for nonrecreational misconduct”.

In a nationalist statement, Rokita compared the ailment to cancel culture. In his ineligible effect to the complaint, helium besides argued that confidentiality was not required successful this peculiar lawsuit because, helium said, Bernard had breached confidentiality rules first.

“I americium seeking re-election,” Rokita said successful the statement, “and successful the meantime, I volition support moving for the radical of Indiana, similar protecting our 2nd Amendment, publishing the Parents’ Bill of Rights, enforcing the regularisation of law, handling much than 1,000 appeals cases filed by criminals each twelvemonth and securing astir $1 cardinal for Hoosier taxpayers.”