Topline
A man in Ohio was arrested Tuesday and charged with raping a 10-year-old girl who was impregnated and then denied an abortion under state law, forcing her to travel out of state, a case that gained widespread attention in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade—and one which some on the right doubted was a real case.
Pro-abortion rights protesters in Dayton, Ohio.
Key Facts
Gerson Fuentes, 27, was arrested by Columbus, Ohio, police and charged with a felony offense for raping the 10-year-old girl, the Columbus Dispatch first reported Wednesday and prison records confirm.
Fuentes confessed to raping the young girl “on at least two occaisons,” the Dispatch reports, and bond has been set at $2 million.
The 10-year-old was denied an abortion in Ohio under the state’s six-week abortion ban, the Indianapolis Star first reported—as the law does not have an exception for rape—and ultimately had an abortion in Indiana using medication on June 30, the Dispatch reports.
The girl was six weeks and three days pregnant at the time she sought an abortion in Ohio, the Star reports, and her case was first made public by a physician in Indiana who was asked if she could take the patient.
Police were first made aware of the case on June 22 through a referral by the county’s child services agency, the Dispatch reports based on police testimony during Fuentes’ arraignment on Wednesday.
Crucial Quote
“Ten years old. Raped, six weeks pregnant. Already traumatized. Was forced to travel to another state. Imagine being that little girl,” President Joe Biden said Friday in remarks on reproductive care and abortion access. About the girl being “forced to give birth to a rapist’s child,” the president added, “I can’t think of anything as much more extreme.”
Chief Critic
Prior to Fuentes’ arrest, some anti-abortion advocates and officials had expressed doubts the 10-year-old’s case was true, most notably Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the official who asked a federal court to put the state’s abortion ban back in effect. The AG said on Fox News he hadn’t heard a “whisper” of evidence in the case and told USA Today he believed it was likely a “fabrication” and “there is not a damn scintilla of evidence” to suggest the account was true. After Fuentes’ arrest, which confirmed the case’s veracity, Yost only commented to the Dispatch, “We rejoice anytime a child rapist is taken off the streets.”
Key Background
The 10-year-old’s case drew attention as state abortion bans have taken effect nationwide following the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which gave states license to fully ban abortion without exemptions. Many of those state bans do not carry any exemptions for rape or incest—though they typically do allow abortions for medical emergencies—and most make performing abortions a felony punishable by prison time. Republican state officials and lawmakers have doubled down on not having exemptions for rape or incest, even as most Americans oppose it: a Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday found 61% of Americans oppose abortion bans that only allow exceptions if the life of the pregnant person is at risk. A higher 73% oppose total abortion bans with no exemptions, including 61% of Republicans, while 57% of all respondents oppose bans that exempt rape and incest.
Further Reading
Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention (Columbus Dispatch)
Patients head to Indiana for abortion services as other states restrict care (Indianapolis Star)
