Man indicted in rape of Ohio girl, 10, who traveled to Indiana for abortion

The man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion was indicted by a grand jury in Ohio Thursday, in a case that became a flashpoint in the debate about the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Gerson Fuentes, 27, was charged with two felony counts of rape in the indictment filed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Columbus.

Court records did not appear to list an attorney for Fuentes after the indictment. His arraignment was scheduled for Monday.

The case quickly gained international attention — and scrutiny — after Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis physician who provides abortion services, told The Indianapolis Star that the 10-year-old had to travel to Indiana for an abortion.

She said the girl had to travel from Ohio to Indiana after Ohio’s “fetal heartbeat” law was enacted hours after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe last month. The law bans abortions at the first detectable “fetal heartbeat.”

Abortions in Ohio are now outlawed at around six weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for cases involving rape or incest.