(LifeSiteNews) — The state of Indiana has reportedly barred an abortionist from receiving an award after accusations that the doctor had breached privacy laws in the case of a minor’s abortion surfaced.
Indiana’s annual Torchbearer Award, is meant to “identify and recognize contributions made by Indiana women to their community, state, and nation” in a “variety of fields ranging from Science and Law to Labor Advocacy and Education,” according to the Indiana Commission for Women.
Last July, Indiana abortionist Dr. Caitlin Bernard spoke with The Indianapolis Star about a phone call from a colleague in Ohio just days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, where Ohio’s six-week abortion ban taking effect had allegedly denied an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim. Bernard received the girl to perform the abortion in Indiana.
Abortion allies quickly spread the story to promote fear about the alleged effects of letting states set their own abortion laws, while pro-lifers and others questioned the story for its lack of corroborating detail. But later that month, the story was confirmed with the charging of 27-year-old Gershon Fuentes, an illegal immigrant and boyfriend of the victim’s mother. The revelations raised speculation as to whether the girl was actually taken to Indiana to abort in order to avoid identifying her rapist.
Last November, Indiana Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita lodged an administrative complaint against Bernard based on her “own testimony under oath” indicating “she violated federal and Indiana law when she “disclosed her patient’s abuse, medical issues, and medical treatment to a reporter at an abortion rights rally to further her political agenda,” and “failed to immediately report the abuse and rape of a child to Indiana authorities,” who could have “stopped this little girl from being sent home to endure possible future harm by her alleged rapist.”
The Indiana Medical Licensing Board ultimately fined Bernard $3,000 and issued a letter of reprimand for her conduct but declined to suspend her medical license.
Now, The Star reported that Bernard’s name was on a list of 60 women being considered for this year’s Torchbearer Award but was marked “not approved” due to the situation.
“After reviewing the backgrounds and supporting documentation of the nominations provided by the council of judges, it was determined that Dr. Bernard’s nomination was not appropriate due to her ongoing case with the Medical Licensing Board,” said Indiana Civil Rights Commission deputy director of internal and external programming Stephanie Slone.
Abortion proponents have long invoked stories of pregnant minors and pregnancies resulting from rape to generate emotional discomfort at the prospect of banning abortion, while pro-lifers continue to stress that circumstances of conception do not change the preborn baby’s innocence or humanity, and therefore society must do all it can to treat both mother and child with compassion and note the physical and psychological consequences of abortion.
Pro-lifers further note that abortion in case of rape is often exploited by predators to destroy the living proof of their crimes and continue molesting child victims. The pro-life group Live Action has documented Planned Parenthood’s complicity in several such cases in its “Aiding Abusers” video series.
Earlier this month, an Indiana law projected to end 95% of abortions in the Hoosier State took effect, prohibiting all abortions except those sought due to rape or incest during the first 10 weeks, “substantial and irreversible physical impairment” of the mother’s health, or children suffering from an irremediable medical condition that is incompatible with sustained life outside the womb” up to 20 weeks.