INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s legal professional basic has sued the state’s largest hospital system, claiming it violated affected person privateness legal guidelines when a physician publicly shared the story of an Ohio woman who traveled to Indiana for an abortion.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Indianapolis federal courtroom, marked Lawyer Normal Todd Rokita’s newest try to hunt disciplinary authorized motion towards Dr. Caitlin Bernard. The physician’s account of a 10-year-old rape sufferer touring to Indiana to obtain abortion medicine grew to become a flashpoint within the abortion debate days after the U.S. Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade final summer time.
Rokita, a Republican, is stridently anti-abortion and Indiana was the primary state to approve abortion restrictions after the courtroom’s determination. The near-total abortion ban not too long ago took impact after authorized battles.
“Neither the 10-year-old nor her mother gave the doctor authorization to speak to the media about their case,” the lawsuit acknowledged. “Rather than protecting the patient, the hospital chose to protect the doctor, and itself.”
The lawsuit named Indiana College Well being and IU Healthcare Associates. It alleged the hospital system violated HIPPA, the federal Well being Insurance coverage Portability and Accountability Act, and a state legislation for not defending the affected person’s data.
Indiana’s medical licensing board reprimanded Bernard in Could, saying she didn’t abide by privateness legal guidelines by speaking publicly concerning the woman’s therapy. It was far wanting the medical license suspension that Rokita’s workplace sought.
Nonetheless, the board’s determination acquired widespread criticism from medical teams and others who referred to as it a transfer to intimidate medical doctors.
Hospital system officers have argued that Bernard didn’t violate privateness legal guidelines.
“We continue to be disappointed the Indiana Attorney General’s office persists in putting the state’s limited resources toward this matter,” IU Well being mentioned in an announcement. “We will respond directly to the AG’s office on the filing.”
In July, a 28-year-old man was sentenced to life in jail for the kid’s rape.
