An American resident of the state of Ohio, in the northwest of the United States, was arrested and confessed to raping a 10-year-old girl who, due to new restrictions on abortion in the country, had to travel to Indiana to be able to terminate the pregnancy resulting from the crime. The case was cited by President Joe Biden in criticism of the Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the constitutional right to abortion.
Gerson Fuentes, 21, was arrested on Tuesday (12) and taken to court in the state capital, Columbus. According to police, he confessed to raping the child at least twice, the last time on June 30. A $2 million bond was set for him to be released from prison.
Ohio bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy — before many women even know they are pregnant. The ruling took effect hours after the Supreme Court struck down, on June 24, a 1973 ruling that abortion was a constitutional right.
The episode gained attention this month when the Indianapolis Star reported that the child had to travel to the neighboring state to secure an abortion after the rape, as she found out she was pregnant three days after the six-week deadline. The state of Ohio does not provide for exceptions for rape or incest.
Conservative personalities and politicians questioned the veracity of the report. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told USA Today that the story “was most likely a fabrication” because no arrests had been made so far.
In a statement on Wednesday after the arrest, Yost, who advocated a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, backtracked. “My heart aches for the pain suffered by this child. Columbus Police Department work to secure a confession and get a rapist off the street.”
In Indiana, where the GOP controls local Congress, abortion remains legal, but observers expect new restrictions to be announced by the end of the month. So far, 26 US states have determined or are expected to announce severe restrictions on abortion soon, following the new ruling by the country’s highest court.
Last Friday (8), Biden mentioned the case in a conversation with journalists about access to abortion. “Last week it was reported that a 10-year-old girl, a victim of rape, was forced to travel to another state to terminate her pregnancy and perhaps save her life. Does anyone believe that a 10-year-old girl should be forced to have a child of a rapist? I can’t think of anything as extreme as that,” he said, in an angry tone.
