Indiana Doctor Is Being Investigated for Providing Abortion for 10-Year-Old Rape Victim

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The war over abortion rights is escalating — and now providers are being targeted.

Earlier this month, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Indianapolis, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that she terminated a pregnancy for a 10-year-old victim of sexual assault who traveled from Ohio following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

She was referred to the patient by a doctor in Ohio after that state outlawed abortion following six weeks of pregnancy, in response to the SCOTUS ruling.

In Indiana, abortions are legal up to 22 weeks — the girl was six weeks and three days pregnant. A 27-year-old man from Columbus has since been charged with rape.

RELATED: 10-Year-Old Ohio Girl Travels to Indiana for Abortion After SCOTUS Overturns Roe v. Wade

On Wednesday Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita wrote a letter to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb saying that Dr. Bernard could face prosecution if she did not follow proper protocol. Indiana law states that doctors who provide abortions to sexual assault victims must file the appropriate paperwork within 3 days.

"A physician presented with a pregnant pre-teen — a victim of sexual assault — must report the assault to law enforcement immediately," he wrote. "One who aborts the pregnancy of such a rape victim must within three days file a report of the abortion with the bother the Indiana Department of Health and the Indiana Department of Child Services."

The letter continues: "If Dr. Bernard has failed to file the required reports on time, she has committed an offense, the consequences of which could include criminal prosecution and licensing repercussions."

However, Politico has obtained a copy of the form, which shows it was sent to both the health and child services departments two days after the abortion occurred.

RELATED: Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Abortion Stories to Help Women Feel Less Alone

Bernard's attorney, Kathleen DeLaney, issued a statement:

"My client, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, took every appropriate and proper action in accordance with the law and both her medical and ethical training as a physician," DeLaney said. "She followed all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations in this case, just as she does every day to provide the best possible care for her patients. She has not violated any law, including patient privacy laws, and she has not been disciplined by her employer. We are considering legal action against those who have smeared my client."

Anti-abortion activists think that the girl should have been forced to have the baby. In a phone interview with Politico, Jim Bopp, Indiana lawyer and the general counsel for the National Right to Life, said, "She would have had the baby, and as many women who have had babies as a result of rape, we would hope that she would understand the reason and ultimately the benefit of having the child."

Roe v. Wade is a landmark Supreme Court decision of 1973 that granted women the right to an abortion in every state.

RELATED VIDEO: President Joe Biden Signs Executive Order to Protect Abortion Access

Last month's 6-to-3 ruling reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, giving states the power to pass their own laws around abortion. Since the decision, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and South Dakota have already banned abortion in their states, after putting trigger laws in place that governors enacted following the SCOTUS ruling.

Protests have since erupted around the country, and President Biden has doubled down on his pro-choice support. The decision comes after the SCOTUS opinion was leaked to Politico in May. A poll conducted by CNN has since found that 66% of Americans did not want Roe v. Wade to be overturned.