A pro-abortion doctor has been revealed as the sole source for the tale of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was six weeks pregnant and forced to travel to Indiana for an abortion after being raped. The story was a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s speech on Friday in which he attacked an Ohio law that limits abortions.
In a fact-checking column that in the end said the truth of the story may never be learned, The Washington Post noted the only Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist who performs abortions and claims that the incident took place is Dr. Caitlin Bernard.
The claim, made in an article by the Indianapolis Star, alleged that a “child abuse doctor” in Ohio referred the girl to Bernard. That doctor was not named.
The Post noted that if this was true, a criminal case should exist because the “child abuse doctor” in Ohio would have been required by law to notify police.
Bernard would not elaborate when asked by the Post to do so.
“Thank you for reaching out. I’m sorry, but I don’t have any information to share,” she wrote in an email.
The Post said child services agencies in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo were all unaware of any such case in their areas.
Journalist Megan Fox of PJ Media created a Twitter thread to scrutinize the claim.
? #2 An unnamed alleged “child abuse” doctor called Dr. Caitlyn Bernard (an abortionist in Indiana) to ask for help. But any doctor who knows of abuse would be required to also call law enforcement. There should be a criminal investigation going involving Ohio DFS and police.
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) July 5, 2022
? #7 There’s no way to verify Bernard’s claim. She has doctor patient confidentiality. No one can FOIA her. The media won’t ask any questions and even if they did she wouldn’t answer. There is no proof that this 10-year-old even exists and yet the media ran with it full tilt.
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) July 5, 2022
The big question now is why was it the @indystar that reported this exclusively of all local OH news stations (CBS, ABC, NBC) that didn’t? According to star site, they are owned by Gannet Co., a huge media company. But Gannet’s site doesn’t list them. So is this still accurate? pic.twitter.com/xBypUaB46z
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) July 5, 2022
? #5 It was immediately used as a political weapon against Republican Governor Kristi Noem and will be used against other pro-life politicians to make them answer this possibly hypothetical or made-up scenario to win political hit points.
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) July 5, 2022
In an op-ed on the website NottheBee, Peter Heck poked holes in the story.
Do you believe this story is true?
“Being from Indiana myself, I am quite familiar with the abortionist and activist who is held out as the lone source for this story — Caitlin Bernard. She has quite a record of extremism in my state and beyond. Given her track record of advocacy over honesty, the skepticism many are now expressing is sadly appropriate. What’s more, I used to write for the Indianapolis Star and experienced firsthand the progressive editorial influence of parent-corporation Gannett in determining what they cover and how they cover it,” he wrote.
If the story is fake, he wrote, “the lying abortionist should be censured, the paper shamed and the pro-abortion movement’s already-dismal credibility should suffer another critical blow.”
“But suppose there is tragic merit to the story, and consequently, this innocent 10-year-old girl is being used as a mere weapon in a larger war by forces who care little to nothing about her actual well-being. For all the talk about the need for ‘reproductive justice,’ this girl deserves criminal justice, and reporters, newspapers and activists alike should be unwilling to rest until she does,” he wrote in a challenge to those who believe the story is true.
“Play your abortion games later. For now, if one really exists, make the rapist known, make his crimes infamous and let the public mete out swift, harsh and appropriate justice. The fact that no one seems interested in doing so speaks to either their own confidence the story is a fable, or their own galling disinterest in justice. Neither is acceptable,” he wrote.
As noted by the New York Post, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to say whether the White House confirmed the truth of the story before Biden used it in his remarks.
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