Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) says he will be looking into the licensure of the physician who provided abortion services to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who made national headlines after she traveled out of state to receive the procedure.
Caitlin Bernard, an Indiana obstetrician-gynecologist, publicly shared earlier this month in an interview published by the The Indianapolis Star that she would be assisting the young girl, who was prohibited from getting an abortion under Ohio’s six-week ban.
The case has been the focus of intense scrutiny, as it comes just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to an abortion.
According to Bernard, she was contacted by a colleague who is a child abuse doctor in Ohio.
Rokita appeared on Fox News Wednesday and referred to Bernard as an “abortion activist acting as a doctor.” He accused of her having a history of failing to report abortions and that an investigation into the physician and her license is underway.
“We’re gathering the evidence as we speak, and we’re going to fight this to the end, including looking at her licensure if she failed to report. And in Indiana it’s a crime … to intentionally not report,” Rokita said.
Bernard has yet to publicly respond to Rokta’s remarks.
On Wednesday, she had tweeted, “My heart breaks for all survivors of sexual assault and abuse. I am so sad that our country is failing them when they need us most. Doctors must be able to give people the medical care they need, when and where they need it.
The story of the 10-year-old rape victim quickly rose to national attention, with abortion activists denouncing that the child was denied an abortion in her own state after being raped, while anti-abortion figures initially expressed doubt that the story was even true.
It was later confirmed that the incident had occurred when a 27-year-old Columbus man, Gerson Fuentes, was arrested on Tuesday after confessing to raping the child on at least two occasions.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) was among those who publicly expressed doubt that the story was factual before the arrest, claiming that there had been no evidence filed to verify the account.
“I’m not saying it could not have happened. What I’m saying to you is there is not a damn scintilla of evidence. And shame on the Indianapolis paper that ran this thing on a single source who has an obvious axe to grind,” Yost told the USA Today network earlier this week.
Following the arrest, Yost issued a one-sentence response stating, “We rejoice anytime a child rapist is taken off the streets.”
