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Caitlin Bernard during a rally in June 2022
Photo: Jenna Watson / AP
In the United States, a fine has been imposed on a well-known abortion doctor who had made public an abortion for a ten-year-old rape victim. According to the AFP news agency, the medical association of the state of Indiana ruled on Thursday evening (local time) that Caitlin Bernard had violated privacy laws last summer. According to US media, the panel imposed a fine of 3000 dollars (around 2800 euros).
The case made headlines last summer, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the nationwide right to abortion. A ten-year-old rape victim had to travel from the state of Ohio to the neighboring state of Indiana for an abortion because Ohio had banned abortions after the sixth week immediately after the Supreme Court decision. In the case of the girl, this deadline had passed.
According to AFP, Bernard spoke to a regional newspaper about the case, without revealing the girl's identity. President Joe Biden took up the case when he presented measures to protect the right to abortion. Later, the arrest of the alleged rapist became known. In this context, the authorities confirmed the abortion of the young victim in Indiana.
The attorney general of the state, Republican Todd Rokita, called for punishment of the abortion doctor in the wake of the affair. Among other things, he accused the doctor of not having properly informed the authorities. The Medical Association has now come to the conclusion that this accusation is not true. However, she saw a violation of the girl's privacy as proven. Attorney General Rokita welcomed the fine imposed on Bernard.
Abortion rights are one of the most controversial socio-political issues in the United States. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the more than 50-year-old landmark ruling "Roe v. Wade", which had enshrined a nationwide fundamental right to abortion. Since then, numerous conservative states have banned abortion or severely restricted access.
dam/AFP