Caitlin Bernard, the Indiana abortionist who committed an abortion on a 10-year-old girl rape survivor, has been disciplined by the state Medical Licensing Board, which found that she violated the young girl’s privacy by talking to the media.
After a 14-hour hearing, the board ruled that while Bernard did not violate laws regarding the reporting of abuse, she did violate the girl’s privacy by talking to the Indianapolis Star about the abortion. Due to the split decision, Bernard will be formally reprimanded, but she will keep her medical license. She has also been fined $3,000.
Bernard, who has been accused of covering up child rape in the past, notified the media about the child’s rape and abortion before she told state authorities about the crime, according to records in the case. She also incorrectly listed the rapist’s age as 17. Previously, Bernard was part of a group of nine abortionists who received consumer complaints for failing to report child sexual abuse 48 times — and some of the victims were as young as 12.
During the hearing, Bernard was asked why she felt it was necessary to tell the media about a 10-year-old girl’s rape and abortion, and her response made it clear that she spoke to the media solely to push a pro-abortion narrative.
“I think that it’s incredibly important for people to understand the real-world impacts of the laws of this country about abortion,” Bernard said. “I think it’s important for people to know what patients will have to go through because of legislation that is being passed, and a hypothetical does not make that impact.”
Bernard previously tried to block Attorney General Todd Rokita from investigating Bernard but failed.
Cory Voight, co-director of the attorney general office’s complex litigation division, criticized Bernard’s decision to speak about the case to Indiana’s largest newspaper. “The effect of that decision is everyone, the country, learned about her patient. Learned that a 10-year-old little girl was raped and had an abortion,” he said in his opening remarks.
Rokita has since released a statement praising the medical board’s decision. “Like we have said for a year, this case was about patient privacy and the trust between the doctor and the patient that was broken,” he said. “What if it was your child or your parent or your sibling who was going through a sensitive medical crisis, and the doctor, who you thought was on your side, ran to the press for political reasons? It’s not right, and the facts we presented today made that clear.”
