Indiana's Attorney General wants the state medical board to sanction the doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio who had to flee to Indiana to get the procedure because of her home state's draconian laws regarding women's healthcare, NPR reports.

Republican Todd Rokita wants the state medical board to penalize Dr. Caitlin Bernard for not reporting the child's rape to Indiana authorities and for relating the child's plight to the media thereby, Rokito claims unironically, to have violated the patient's right to privacy. Neither charge holds water.

Bernard's attorney has said the doctor checked with authorities in the child's home jurisdiction in Ohio to ensure that the attack was reported. In Indiana, one only has to ensure that a child abuse case was reported to authorities to comply with the law; there is no specific requirement to report it to Indiana authorities if it was reported elsewhere.

Relating to Rokita's claim that Bernard violated Indiana law and the child's right to privacy: that charge is bullshit. Bernard never named the child or family, gave any personal identifying information, or even mentioned the town where the victim was from.

Rokita's claim that Bernard violated Indiana law is also tenuous given that as Attorney General, Rokita could bring charges against Bernard himself for a violation of the law; instead, he's referred the accusation to the state medical board, which has a lower–but stringent–level of proof, an action that shows Rokita doesn't have enough evidence to sustain a criminal prosecution.

As a Republican, Rokita is also likely seeking to use his official office to avenge a lawsuit Bernard has filed against him for harassment and defamation for lying about Bernard's actions relating to the case because Rokita is anti-choice and wants to punish doctors who perform legal abortions.