Indiana’s AG Todd Rokita, apparently looking to punish a physician for providing important medical care to a 10-year-old, has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Dr. Caitlin Bernard and the healthcare group she works for. Rokita alleges Bernard violated her affected person’s privateness partially by together with restricted info in a grievance in opposition to Rokita for harassing medical docs.
The snake is de facto consuming its tail right here, Rokita might get this privateness violation out of the nationwide information by dropping his grievance — however what he actually seeks right here is to harass a physician. Keep in mind this all begins with Republicans desirous to deny a 10-year-old the care she wants after being raped. They wished to drive a 10-year-old to hold the child to time period.
Indiana Legal professional Basic Todd Rokita filed swimsuit on Friday in federal courtroom in opposition to the hospital system that employs Dr. Caitlin Bernard, the abortion supplier who handled an unidentified, then-10-year-old rape sufferer from Ohio within the days after Roe fell. Rokita contends that Indiana College Well being (IUH) and IU Healthcare Associates violated federal HIPPA legislation and state-level privateness legislation by standing by Bernard, who confirmed to the Indianapolis Star that she had handled a 10-year-old pregnant rape sufferer…
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The lawsuit contends that as a result of Bernard disclosed a date “extra particular than the yr,” it’s a breach of affected person privateness. The lawsuit additionally says Bernard broke affected person confidentiality throughout her November 2022 grievance in opposition to Rokita, the place she accused him of overstepping his authority and repeatedly harassing licensed medical docs who present abortions, as a result of “there was no courtroom order allowing IUH to reveal the affected person’s data” that have been partially submitted into proof. (That motion was later voluntarily dismissed by Bernard and her fellow plaintiff.)
The lawsuit requests a jury trial, so we’ll have to attend to see what sort of decision the courts would possibly present.
Rokita’s workplace can also be upset that journalists did their jobs, basically. The lawsuit contends that as a result of Bernard initially confirmed the main points, Indianapolis Star journalists have been in a position to request the precise state knowledge on abortions carried out that week, with a view to verify what she instructed them. If the Indiana Legal professional Basic’s Workplace is upset with the continued media protection, it ought to do some soul looking: Rokita has targeted on Bernard and the woman’s case for greater than a yr, holding this alleged privateness violation in nationwide information shops.
