Comment The Indianapolis doctor who helped a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio get an abortion was forced to stop providing services at a clinic in 2020 after being notified of a kidnapping threat against her daughter. And he’s currently listed as a “threat” on an anti-abortion website that linked to Amy Coney Barrett before she was nominated to the Supreme Court and helped overthrow Roe v. Wade. Before the story went viral and an Ohio man was charged with rape in a case that drew international attention, Caitlin Bernard, an OB/GYN, was forced to stop providing abortion services at a clinic in South Bend, Ind., on 2020 after Planned Parenthood notified her of a kidnapping threat made against the doctor’s daughter, which was relayed by the FBI. “I felt it would be best for me to limit my travel and exposure during this time,” Bernard said in an affidavit last year, according to the Guardian, which first reported the news. “I was worried that there might be people who might recognize me during this trip, and it’s a very small clinic with no privacy for people driving in and out, so people might see me. directly.” Kendra Barkoff Lamy, a spokeswoman for Bernard, confirmed to the Washington Post on Saturday that “reports of threats against Dr. Bernard in 2020 are unfortunately true.” “These personal and dangerous threats are obviously devastating to her, a board-certified physician who has dedicated her life to the betterment of women and providing vital reproductive care, including abortion,” Lamy said in a statement. “Unfortunately, Dr. Bernard is not alone, and this is happening to doctors like her who perform abortions across our nation.” Neither officials with Planned Parenthood nor the FBI immediately responded to requests for comment early Saturday. Rebecca Gibron, the deputy CEO of several Planned Parenthood locations, including Indiana, said in a news release that the organization “is committed to providing Dr. Bernard with security services and assistance with legal fees.” “We stand in solidarity with Dr. Bernard and all providers who continue to provide compassionate, meaningful care to patients, even in the face of attacks by anti-abortion extremists,” Gibron said. Although the details of the reported kidnapping threat remain unclear, Bernard has been labeled a “local abortion threat” on a website for Right to Life Michiana, an anti-abortion group based in South Bend. Bernard is among six doctors who have listed their workplace locations and educational backgrounds since at least last year in a section of the website called “Local Abortion Threat: The Abortionist.” Bernard and the other doctors have been listed on the website since Saturday. Jackie Appleman, executive director of Right to Life Michiana, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. Appleman told the Guardian earlier this year that the listing of Bernard and the other doctors on the group’s website was based on “public information”. “Right to Life Michiana does not condone or encourage harm, threats or harassment of anyone, including abortion doctors, abortion business employees and attendants,” Appleman said in January. “We encourage pro-choice groups to also embrace our non-violent approach when it comes to the unborn.” Right to Life Michiana takes a hard line against abortion, and Appleman has previously noted that the group supports criminalizing doctors who perform abortions. The group promotes misinformation about pregnancy and abortion on its website, including the false claim that medical abortions can be “reversed.” Right to Life Michiana advertises several sponsors on its website, including the University of Notre Dame, located in South Bend, and the organization is promoting a fall event featuring conservative fan Shapiro as keynote speaker. But the anti-abortion group is perhaps best known for a 2006 newspaper ad opposing “abortion on demand,” which Barrett signed when she was a law professor at Notre Dame — an endorsement that appeared to be her first direct public expression of her views on abortion. . “We, the following citizens of Michiana, oppose abortion on demand and defend the right to life from conception to natural death,” said St. Joseph County Right to Life, which was later renamed Right to Life Michiana, in the advertisement published in the South Bend Tribune. “It is time to put an end to his barbaric legacy Roe v. Wade and restore laws that protect the lives of unborn children.” The group’s advocacy work came under greater scrutiny during Barrett’s 2020 Supreme Court confirmation hearing when it was revealed that she failed to disclose her involvement in advertising. Barrett signed ad in 2006 denouncing the “barbaric legacy” of Roe v. Wade, advocating overturning the law A Supreme Court spokesman did not immediately respond to questions sent to Barrett about whether she has an ongoing relationship with the group and whether she supports its practice of identifying local abortion providers as “threats” and publishing biographical information. The 10-year-old victim’s story first became public when Bernard told the Indianapolis Star in an article published July 1 that he had received a call from a doctor in Ohio about a young patient who was six weeks and three days pregnant had been raped. The girl had to travel to Indiana for her procedure because abortions are now prohibited in Ohio after six weeks. Although the account of the girl’s condition quickly gained international attention and was condemned by President Biden, it was followed by a wave of skepticism from conservative politicians, pundits and the media who expressed doubts. (The Post also published a Fact Checker analysis that initially concluded the report about the girl was a “very difficult story to verify.”) After arrest for rape of 10-year-old girl, Fox News hosts shift in focus The Columbus Dispatch then broke the news that Gershon Fuentes, 27, was charged Wednesday after he allegedly confessed to authorities that he raped the 10-year-old on at least two occasions. Detective Jeffrey Hoon of the Columbus Police Department testified that the arrest came after a referral from Franklin County Children’s Services, which had contacted the girl’s mother on June 22, according to a video of the lawsuit — two days before the overturning the Supreme Court. Roe. The girl had an abortion at an Indianapolis clinic on June 30, Hoon said. If convicted of first-degree felony rape, Fuentes faces up to life in prison. Gerson Fuentes, 27, was arraigned July 13 in Ohio, where he was accused of raping a 10-year-old girl who had to travel to Indiana for an abortion. (Video: Reuters) Almost immediately after Fuentes was indicted, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) questioned Bernard about whether he had reported the proceedings to state officials. Rokita again expressed doubts in a letter to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) last week, saying his office had requested, but not received, documentation from state agencies that the girl’s abortion had been properly reported by Bernard. However, records obtained by The Post on Thursday show Bernard reported the minor’s abortion to the appropriate state agencies before the legally mandated deadline to do so. The doctor’s attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, sent a cease and desist letter to Rokita on Friday and said in a statement to news outlets that Bernard “is considering legal action against those who have [her].” Record shows Indiana doctor fulfilled duty to report 10-year-old girl’s abortion “My client, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, took every appropriate and proper action consistent with the law and her medical and ethical training as a physician,” Delaney said. “She followed all relevant policies, procedures and regulations in this case, as she does every day to provide the best possible care to her patients.” News of the earlier threat against Bernard’s daughter has shone a spotlight on potential incidents of violence and criminality against providers and patients. Since 1977, there have been 11 murders, nearly 500 assaults, 42 bombings, 196 arsons and thousands of crimes targeting patients, providers and volunteers, according to the National Abortion Federation, which advocates for abortion access. According to the most recent threat assessment report published in May, last year there was a 600% increase in incidents of abortion providers stalking and a 163% increase in the delivery of hoax devices or suspicious packages compared to 2020. Lamy told The Post on Saturday that Bernard is asking for “respect for her family’s privacy.” Bernard took to Twitter on Friday night to express his gratitude for her support during this “difficult week” and promised to “continue to provide health care ethically, lovingly and bravely every day.” “I hope to be able to share my story soon,” Bernard said. And thank you to the journalists who worked tirelessly and diligently to inform the public of this important story and the truth. I hope to be able to share my story soon. 2/2 — Caitlin Bernard (@drcaitbernard) July 15, 2022 María Luisa Paúl contributed to this report.
