2022 Ohio child-rape and Indiana abortion case

2022 Ohio child rape case
LocationColumbus, Ohio, U.S.
DateMay 2022; 2 years ago (2022-05)
Attack type
Child rape
Victim9-year-old girl
PerpetratorGerson Fuentes
VerdictPleaded guilty
ConvictionsFirst-degree rape (2 counts)[1]
SentenceLife imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 to 30 years

On June 30, 2022, a ten-year-old girl from Columbus, Ohio, United States, traveled to Indiana to get an abortion because abortion law in Ohio did not provide an exception for minor children who became pregnant because of rape.[2][3][4][5] Her case drew national attention and commentary from public figures, due in part to its proximity to the June 24, 2022, decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states, including Ohio, to impose substantial limitations on abortion.

The girl had become pregnant in May 2022 when she was still nine years old. Her case was reported to the Columbus Division of Police on June 22, 2022.[Note 1][3] During the ensuing law enforcement investigation, a 27-year-old man was arrested and charged with two felony counts of rape.[2][3][6] He pled guilty in July 2023.[7] The office of the Indiana Attorney General investigated the Indiana physician who performed the procedure, and referred the matter to Indiana's medical licensing board, which heard her case on May 25, 2023.[8]

  1. ^ "Offender Details".
  2. ^ a b Bruner, Bethany; Trombly, Monroe; Cook, Tony (July 13, 2022). "Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Izadi, Elahe (July 28, 2022). "How local journalists proved a 10-year-old's abortion wasn't a hoax". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ Bushard, Brian (July 22, 2022). "Ohio Man Indicted For Raping 9-Year-Old Who Was Forced To Travel To Indiana For Abortion". Forbes. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Sasani, Ava (July 13, 2022). "Suspect is Arrested in Ohio After Rape of 10-Year-Old Girl". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBC 7-22-2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ WSYX Staff (April 19, 2023). "Gerson Fuentes case continued until summer". WSYX. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference z was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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