Indiana attorney general faces ethics case over abortion doctor remarks

By Nate Raymond and David Thomas

(Reuters) - An Indiana judicial watchdog on Monday accused Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita of violating professional conduct rules while making statements about a doctor in the state who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio.

The complaint by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission cited statements Rokita made on Fox News in July 2022 about Dr. Caitlin Bernard in a case that became a flashpoint in the debate over abortion access.

The commission's move is the latest in a state whose highest court in June upheld a law banning nearly all abortions in the state. The Indiana Supreme Court is also the ultimate arbiter for any attorneys charged with misconduct by the commission.

Rokita, who opposes abortion, had opened an investigation into Bernard. During a show hosted by Fox's Jesse Watters, he described her as an "abortion activist acting as a doctor - with a history of failure to report" child abuse cases.