A lawyer for an obstetrician-gynecologist in Indiana has issued a cease and desist letter to the Republican state attorney general, who threatened to file criminal charges against her after she was told she had cared for a 10-year-old rape victim Ohio.
According to reports, Dr. Caitlin Bernard the girl a week after Ohio officials – hours after the US Supreme Court struck down Deer vs Wade – Adopt a measure banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and making no exception for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
After raising doubts about the veracity of the case, Republican officials and right-wing media have moved to track Dr. Attacking Bernard’s legitimacy and baselessly accusing her of failing to notify law enforcement about the case.
On Fox News this weekIndiana Attorney General Todd Rokita fired Dr. Bernard as an “abortion activist acting as a doctor” and claimed without evidence that “from everything we have found out so far, this Indiana abortion doctor covered this up”.
His letter to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb also alleges that Dr. Bernard could expect “criminal prosecution and licensing consequences”.
A July 15 letter from her attorney said his comments “raised Dr. Bernard in a false light and accused of misconduct in their profession”.
Despite evidence presented through requests for public records and a review from Indiana University Health, her employer, who confirmed that Dr. Bernard has complied with all applicable reporting laws, Mr. Rokita’s subsequent statements “imply accuse Dr. Bernard continues in a false light and misleads consumers and patients,” the letter said.
“We are particularly concerned that such inflammatory allegations have the potential to incite harassment or violence, given the controversial political context of the comments,” Dr. Bernard would prevent her from providing safe care to her patients, the letter said.
Attorney Kathleen Delaney said the attorney general’s statements alleging wrongdoing could constitute defamation, adding that his statements, which go beyond the scope of his authority, “could form the basis of a court defamation lawsuit.”
On July 13th was 27-year-old Gerson Fuentes charged with raping the girl.
According to testimonies during Fuentes’ arraignment, Columbus, Ohio police were alerted to a June 22 referral from the girl’s mother from Franklin County Children Services. On June 30, the girl was aborted in Indianapolis, Indiana.
dr Bernard “clearly reported this incident to the appropriate authorities within the timeframe” required by state law, Ms Delaney told MSNBC Deadline White House on Friday.
“If Mr. Rokita had done his homework, he would have known that before he went to Fox News and falsely accused them of doing a false report,” she said.
His remarks are “inciting people” and “throwing mud … in a very politically charged scene” as Indiana state lawmakers prepare to meet in the coming days to discuss new anti-abortion laws after the Supreme Court approved the constitutional one has removed protections for nursing, and leaves such laws to the individual states.
“We are very concerned that he is extremely irresponsible with his communications and could lead someone to do something illegal or horrific,” she said.
