MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2022) A doctor from the US city of Indianapolis who provided abortion treatment for a 10-year-old rape victim has defended her actions in court in a lawsuit intended to prevent Indiana's attorney general from accessing the girl's medical records to determine if the doctors had violated the law, local media reported.
In June, Caitlin Bernard gave abortion drugs to the girl, from Ohio, who had to travel to Indiana as the procedure had been outlawed in her home state, and then spoke about it to local media. The Indiana attorney general's office started an investigation against Bernard for presumably failing to comply with child abuse reporting laws and violating patient privacy laws. It now needs to access the patient's medical records to continue the investigation.
"No crimes have been committed," Bernard testified in Marion Superior Court on Monday, as quoted by Indianapolis broadcaster WRTV. "The complaints are invalid."
On the second day of proceedings, the doctor told the court, as cited in the report, that her reputation was damaged and she received threats after Attorney General Todd Rokita's accusations against her went public on national television.
Bernard said she had duly reported the case to Indiana's authorities, while the police in Ohio were already investigating the case before she agreed to provide the abortion.
The judge said, as cited in the report, she would issue a verdict by next week.
