Ohio man arrested for rape of 10-year-old who had to seek abortion in Indiana

A person in Ohio has been arrested for raping a 10-year-old lady, who then needed to journey out of state for an abortion.

Why it issues: The case is an instance of how state legal guidelines within the aftermath of the Supreme Courtroom’s resolution to overturn Roe v. Wade will bar entry to abortion care, even in excessive circumstances of rape and incest.

State of play: Gerson Fuentes was arrested Tuesday in response to courtroom filings, after he confessed to raping the kid. He was charged with rape of a minor, which is a felony in Ohio punishable by life imprisonment.

• The officer who arrested Fuentes stated throughout his arraignment on Wednesday that the lady underwent an abortion in Indiana on June 30, The Columbus Dispatch studies.
• Fuentes is being held in county jail on a $2 million bond.

State of play: The Indianapolis Star first reported this month that the lady needed to journey to Indiana as a result of she was previous the purpose by which she might entry abortion in Ohio.

• The story made worldwide headlines. President Biden used the case for instance of how restrictive an abortion ban might be when signing an govt order to guard abortion entry: “Think about being that little lady.”
• Ohio Lawyer Common Dave Yost (R) stated on Fox Information that he didn’t imagine the case was actual as a result of he had not heard of a report filed within the case.
• After the information of Fuentes’ arrest was reported, Yost issued a press release saying: “We rejoice anytime a toddler rapist is taken off the streets,” per The Columbus Dispatch.

Catch up quick: The Supreme Courtroom’s resolution to overturn Roe gave states the facility to control abortion at any stage of the being pregnant.

• Shortly after the excessive courtroom’s resolution, a measure Ohio lawmakers permitted earlier this yr that restricts entry to an abortion after the six-week mark of being pregnant went into impact.
• Since Roe was overturned, sufferers from Ohio and Kentucky have streamed to Indiana to entry care that they not can get of their dwelling states. Indiana has not but enacted the same ban, however its state legislature is holding a particular session the place it’s anticipated to later this month.

Go deeper: Roe v. Wade abstract: Supreme Courtroom strikes down Roe v. Wade