An Ohio grand jury indicted Gerson Fuentes on two counts of rape Friday, for allegedly assaulting and impregnating a 9-year-old girl, who was forced to go to Indiana to end her pregnancy through the state’s abortion ban, a case that sparked a national outcry. following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Fuentes, a 27-year-old Guatemalan, is due to be arrested on Monday.
Fuentes, who was arrested last week in Columbus, Ohio, and charged with a crime, confessed to raping the girl, who is now 10, at least twice.
The woman traveled to Indiana for a legal abortion after she was denied an abortion in Ohio under the state’s six-week abortion ban, which does include a rape exception.
The case has become a hotbed of anger for abortion rights activists, as state abortion bans went into effect following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization last month. First, several Republicans questioned the veracity of the girl’s story when it was first reported: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told Fox News he hadn’t noticed a “whisper” of supporting evidence, only to pass through again after Fuentes’ arrest. initiate an investigation into the doctor who performed the abortion on the rape victim.
Indiana lawmakers proposed last week to ban abortion with exceptions, adding rape, incest and instances that would put the mother at risk.
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Indiana Attorney General Faces Ethics Lawsuit for Tracking Abortion of Doctor Who Helped 10-Year-Old Rape Victim (Forbes)