Indiana's attorney general has sued the state's largest hospital system, claiming it violated patient privacy laws when a doctor publicly shared the story of an Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in Indianapolis federal court, marked Attorney General Todd Rokita鈥檚 to seek disciplinary legal action against . The doctor's account of a 10-year-old rape victim traveling to Indiana to receive abortion drugs became a days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.
Rokita, a Republican, is stridently anti-abortion and to approve abortion restrictions after the court's decision. The near-total abortion ban after legal battles.
鈥淣either the 10-year-old nor her mother gave the doctor authorization to speak to the media about their case,鈥� the lawsuit stated. 鈥淩ather than protecting the patient, the hospital chose to protect the doctor, and itself.鈥�
The lawsuit named Indiana University Health and IU Healthcare Associates. It alleged the hospital system violated HIPAA, the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and a state law for not protecting the patient鈥檚 information.
Indiana鈥檚 medical licensing board in May, saying she didn鈥檛 abide by privacy laws by talking publicly about the girl鈥檚 treatment. It was far short of the medical license suspension that Rokita鈥檚 office sought.
Still, the board's decision received widespread criticism from medical groups and others who called it a move to intimidate doctors.
Hospital system officials have argued that Bernard didn鈥檛 violate privacy laws.
鈥淲e continue to be disappointed the Indiana Attorney General鈥檚 office persists in putting the state鈥檚 limited resources toward this matter,鈥� IU Health said in a statement. 鈥淲e will respond directly to the AG鈥檚 office on the filing.鈥�
In July, a 28-year-old man was for the child's rape.