Dr. Caitlin Bernard was wearing her white coat, but she was not at her OB-GYN practice in Indianapolis.
Instead, she was at the Indiana Statehouse, preparing to speak at the Reproductive Health and Access Coalition Lobby Day on Thursday.
“We have been able to engage with lawmakers to explain the, you know, detrimental outcomes that would happen if bills were heard and so far have been successful in preventing movement of some anti-reproductive health legislation,” she told TheStatehouseFile.com. “So, we’re glad to see that lawmakers are open to listening to us.”
At the halfway point in the legislative session, patients have expressed fear regarding their access to abortion and contraceptives, according to Bernard.
“It’s a very difficult place for people to be in in their day-to-day lives,” she said.
Indiana’s abortion ban went into effect in August 2023 with few exceptions and revoked licensing from all clinics in the state.
Last month, newly elected Gov. Mike Braun’s executive order 25-20 placed an emphasis on the state’s commitment to the abortion ban, including Terminated Pregnancy Reports. The order raised concerns around patient privacy and if providers would feel the burden.
“From other physicians I hear, you know, fear that they are going to be targeted,” said Bernard.
In 2023, Attorney General Todd Rokita accused Bernard of violating privacy laws after speaking to a reporter about an abortion she provided to a 10-year-old girl from Ohio in 2022. After a hearing that lasted over 12 hours, the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana fined Bernard $3,000 and gave her a letter of reprimand.
She said health-care providers may feel threatened when it comes to performing certain medical procedures and leave the state, to the detriment of patients.
“How much worse can it get? How many more people are going to die? How much worse can, you know, maternal health outcomes get in, in states like Indiana where we rank so poorly and have for so long?” Bernard said.
Indiana has the third highest infant mortality rate in the nation.
For Hoosiers who feel policy surrounding reproductive health care negatively impacts them, Bernard had a few words of advice.
“You have access to abortion. There is nothing illegal about traveling out of state for an abortion, there is nothing that prevents your doctor or other people in the community from helping you to get access to abortion out of state, and so, if you need care, please, please seek that,” she said. She also added that contraceptives can still be accessed.
“Your opinions matter, your experience matters, your lives matter, and the only way that we’re going to fight this is if we all come together,” she said.
Indiana is one of 19 states that has a ban on abortion. A recently released study found that infant mortality rates were higher than expected in states with six-week abortion bans.
“At the national level, I think it’s very difficult to know what the next steps are,” she said. “We need to continue to stay vigilant to ensure that, you know, we are able to have a seat at the table. And when I say ‘we,’ I mean the people most impacted by legislation.
“There’s so many areas right now of concern, and it’s hard to kind of focus, and so I just want to make sure that people, you know, are taking the time to take care of themselves.”
