ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Indiana attorney general is investigating the doctor who provided abortion services for a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim, doctor's lawyer says

Share

The Indiana doctor who for a 10-year-old girl who was raped is now being investigated by the state's attorney general, according to a lawyer for the doctor.

A notice from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita of his inquiry into Dr. Caitlin Bernard arrived Tuesday, attorney Kathleen DeLaney said.

"We are in the process of reviewing this information. It's unclear to us what is the nature of the investigation and what authority he has to investigate Dr. Bernard," DeLaney said.

CNN has reached out to Rokita for comment. The he would investigate Bernard for potential failure to report the abortion and possible violation of patient privacy laws.

The inquiry notice is the latest development in a drama that has thrust in the United States in the aftermath of the that overturned Roe vs. Wade on June 24 and ended the federal right to abortion.

Bernard helped the 10-year-old after Ohio banned almost all abortions after six weeks of gestation, she told CNN earlier this month, adding that the girl was six weeks and three days into the pregnancy. Within a week of the Supreme Court ruling, the girl underwent the procedure in Indiana.

Under Indiana law, an abortion performed on a person younger than 16 years of age must be reported to the state's Department of Health and also to the Department of Child Services within three days of the abortion.

Bernard reported the abortion procedure to the Indiana Department of Health on July 2 -- two days after it was performed -- as required by the department, according to agency documents obtained by CNN.

In response to CNN's reporting, Rokita's office said: "As we stated, we are gathering evidence from multiple sources and agencies related to these allegations. Our legal review of it remains open."

CNN has reached out to the Indiana Department of Child Services to inquire if Bernard also filed the report with its office.

Bernard practices at Indiana University Health and serves as an assistant professor at the school. Her employer conducted a review in this case -- with Bernard's "full cooperation" -- and determined she was "in compliance with privacy laws," IU Health said in a statement July 15.

In an Ohio criminal court on Monday, pleaded not guilty to felony rape charges. The girl had identified Gerson Fuentes, 27, as her assaulter before his arrest, according to an affidavit, and one detective has testified that Fuentes confessed to police.

SITUATION IS 'WORSE, FASTER' SINCE RULING, DOCTOR SAYS

Bernard said in an interview Tuesday that some people are starting to realize the impact of anti-abortion laws is "actually not what they intended," as pregnant people are being put in life-threatening and dangerous situations.

"I think we're at a time in our country where people are starting to realize the impact of these anti-abortion laws and now when it's finally become impossible for some people, I think people realize that that is actually not what they intended, that is not what they want for children, for women, to be put in these situations of life-threatening conditions of traumatic pregnancies,"

When asked how things have changed since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and if the situation is worse than she imagined, she said, "We're hearing stories all across the country of people who are in dire circumstances, complications of their pregnancies or traumatic situations and are needing abortion care and not able to get it."

"It's worse, faster," she added.

"You know, this will affect our ability to take care of miscarriages," Bernard said. "This will affect our ability to take care of complications in early pregnancy that could kill someone. This will affect our ability to provide infertility treatment, contraception, the list goes on."

Rokita has previously publicly called Bernard an "abortion activist acting as a doctor," and Bernard responded to that characterization.

"I am a physician," Bernard said. "I've spent my entire life working to have this position, to be able to take care of patients every single day."

She also denied violating any privacy laws or failing to report any abortions.

Last week, Bernard's attorneys filed a tort claim notice against Rokita and his office in the first steps toward a possible defamation lawsuit for public comments he has made about Bernard, seeking "damages for security costs, legal fees, reputational harm, and emotional distress," according to a letter.

The attorney general's office dismissed the letter and said in a statement it would "defend against baseless claims."

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.