‘IN COMPLIANCE’

Indiana Hospital Concludes Abortion Doc Didn’t Violate 10-Year-Old’s Privacy

Dr. Caitlin Bernard’s employer debunked a suggestion from the state attorney general that she could have violated HIPAA in the case of the young rape victim.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the Indiana doc who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio and later mentioned the girl’s plight to a local newspaper, did not violate the girl’s privacy, her employer said Friday. Indiana University Health system said it “routinely” conducts reviews to make sure staff are protecting patient privacy. A review of Bernard’s conduct in the matter found her “in compliance with privacy laws.” On Thursday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita suggested, without evidence, that Bernard might have violated her legal duties to report the abortion, to report the girl’s abuse, and to abide by HIPAA, which protects patient privacy. But a terminated pregnancy report, obtained by media outlets on Thursday via a public records, show that she correctly reported the abuse and the abortion. Other Republicans had suggested Bernard had fabricated the entire story until a 27-year-old man was arrested for the rape on Tuesday.