Man Indicted in Rape of 10-Year Old Girl Who Traveled to Indiana for Abortion
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl who traveled from Ohio to Indiana for an abortion was indicted by a grand jury in Ohio Thursday.
Authorities reportedly charged a 27-year-old man with two counts of rape, and the indictment said that the victim was 9 years old at the time of the rape. The suspect, an unauthorized immigrant, faces a life sentence and deportation if convicted.
The case has become a recent focus in debate over the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and went viral after a gynecologist reported the rape and the girl's out-of-state travel to the Indianapolis Star. Before the suspect was arrested and confessed to authorities, some right-rated media outlets and prominent political leaders cast doubt on the story and questioned the gynecologist for purportedly failing to report the abortion.
The indictment was covered across the political spectrum, as was the initial rape and fallout over the girl's travel to Indiana, which at the time sparked some examples of media bias and questionable reporting. Coverage from some right-rated outlets highlighted how the suspect is an unauthorized immigrant, and focused on how the victim's mother appeared to defend him and didn't press charges. Coverage from left- and center-rated sources instead focused more on framing Ohio's abortion ban as especially restrictive since it doesn't make exceptions for rape or incest.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Suspect indicted in rape of 10-year-old Columbus girl who got Indiana abortionA Franklin County grand jury on Thursday indicted on two counts of rape the man accused of impregnating a 10-year-old Columbus girl who traveled across state lines to seek an abortion.
The arrest and now the indictment of 27-year-old Gerson Fuentes further confirmed the existence of the 10-year-old rape victim who was forced to seek an abortion in Indiana and brought international attention to Ohio's so-called "heartbeat" law.
Fuentes was arrested July 12 after police say he confessed to sexually assaulting the girl on at least two occasions. The girl became pregnant and because of Ohio's...
From the Right
Man Indicted In Rape Of 10-Year-Old Ohio Girl Who Traveled To Indiana For An Abortion
A grand jury indicted Gerson Fuentes, who recently confessed to raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl, Thursday.
Authorities charged the 27-year-old illegal immigrant on two counts of rape, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The indictment said the victim was 9 years old at the time of the rape.
Reports of a 10-year-old child traveling across state lines to Indiana circulated in early July when Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an obstetrician-gynecologist, reported the events to the Indianapolis Star. Media outlets and prominent political leaders, including Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, cast doubt on the...
From the Left
Man indicted in rape of Ohio girl, 10, who traveled to Indiana for abortionThe 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...
AllSides Picks
March 28th, 2024
March 28th, 2024