Doctor who performed abortion on 10-year-old girl ordered to pay fine — keeps medical license

An Indianapolis doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio was ordered by the Indiana Medical Licensing Board on Thursday to pay a fine for violating patient privacy laws.

The board found that Dr. Caitlin Bernard violated privacy laws when she shared the young girl's story with multiple news outlets.

Bernard stated that, at the time, the child was just over six weeks pregnant and could not receive an abortion in Ohio following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The child was allegedly assaulted in 2022 by 27-year-old Gerson Fuentes, an immigrant in the country illegally.

The girl's story received national media attention after being shared by multiple news outlets and President Joe Biden.

On Thursday, Indiana's Medical Licensing Board gave Bernard a slap on the wrist, fining her $3,000 for violating patient privacy laws. However, the board rejected a request from the attorney general's office to suspend her license.

No restrictions were placed on Bernard's medical practice.

In July, Attorney General Todd Rokita vowed to investigate Bernard. He claimed that the doctor failed to comply with the state's mandatory reporting law, which requires individuals who suspect child abuse to alert law enforcement.

Deputy Attorney General Cory Voight accused Bernard of committing an "egregious violation" of patient privacy orders.

"There's been no case like this before the board," Voight stated. "No physician has been as brazen in pursuit of their own agenda."

Bernard told the board on Thursday that she followed the state's reporting mandate by notifying hospital social workers about the child abuse. She also argued that she did not violate patient privacy laws because she did not release identifying information about the child.

When asked why she shared the girl's story with reporters, the doctor said she believes "it's incredibly important for people to understand the real-world impacts of the laws of this country about abortion."

"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," she added.

Bernard slammed Rokita for his investigation.

"I think if the attorney general, Todd Rokita, had not chosen to make this his political stunt, we wouldn't be here today," Bernard said.

Medical board president Dr. John Strobel stated that he believes Bernard did not anticipate the story would "go viral."

"I don't think she expected this attention to be brought to this patient. It did. It happened," Strobel said.

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