Arrest Made In Rape Of 10-Year-Old Ohio Girl Who Traveled Out-Of-State For Abortion, Sparks Debate Among Conservative Legislators
[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
In a case that has garnered global attention, a Columbus man has been charged with raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl. Gerson Fuentes was arrested after reportedly confessing to authorities Tuesday that he had raped the child on at least two occasions.
Absolutely sickening!
The story has been making waves in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, as Ohio is a state where abortion was made illegal — without exception. Almost immediately that draconian ideology was put to the test in a very public way with the news of a literal child rape victim who couldn’t get an abortion.
Related: Celebs React To SCOTUS Officially Overturning Roe V. Wade
The story of a 10-year-old girl who had to travel from Ohio to Indiana for abortion services with Dr. Caitlin Bernard was first reported earlier this month in the Indianapolis Star then immediately went viral. After all, is this the world these people want to live in? President Joe Biden even cited the case in his plea to the US Supreme Court, saying passionately:
“Imagine being that little girl. I’m serious. Just imagine being that little girl.”
After news of the little girl spread, right-wing pundits played a card they often go to when they don’t have a leg to stand on — they said the facts are a big lie. Various outlets like attempted to poke holes in the validity of the story, citing a lack of evidence the little girl ever really existed. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost stated during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News:
“We have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs — not a whisper anywhere.”
He later added in a Tuesday interview with USA Today that the story was “most likely a fabrication.”
Is he out of his mind?! WHO would make up a story like that?? Ugh, sometimes these Republicans really make us wonder… If this all sounds familiar, it’s basically the same thing Alex Jones is in hot water for right now, claiming Sandy Hook was faked. Because that’s what they do when the facts make their terrible stances look so bad.
Of course now there’s a confession, so it’s basically impossible to deny. Are conservatives apologizing profusely for their terrible take? Nope!
Just a day after ol’ Dave’s Fox interview, when news of Gerson’s arraignment broke, the AG’s statement didn’t even mention the lies he’d been pushing. He said instead:
“We rejoice anytime a child rapist is taken off the streets.”
Mm-hmm.
Is this not troublesome that many of our country’s most powerful people would rather try to write off a story like this as some sort of liberal propaganda rather than taking it seriously and making necessary adjustments to THEIR OWN ideology?! Absolutely mind-blowing.
Related: Texas Attorney General Wants To Criminalize Gay Sex Post Roe V. Wade
During Wednesday’s arraignment, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Dan Meyer requested that Fuentes be held without bond, citing him as a danger to the child involved and a flight risk since he is not believed to be a documented citizen. Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Cynthia Ebner denied the request after Clark Torbett, an attorney with the Franklin County Public Defender’s office reminded the room that it would be unconstitutional to hold Fuentes without bond. So bond was set at $2 million.
Detective Jeffrey Huhn also testified at the Wednesday hearing, explaining that following the 10-year-old girl’s June 30 medical procedure in Indianapolis, DNA from the clinic was being tested against samples from Fuentes, as well as the child’s siblings, in order to confirm his role in the aborted pregnancy. Fuentes admitted again through an interpreter at the hearing to raping the 10-year-old. The young girl herself also confirmed to police that Fuentes was indeed the one responsible for her pregnancy.
Abortion laws are now expected to tighten up in Indiana as legislative leaders are majority Republican, and have pledged to enact new restrictions. As for comments on this case, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb called it a “horrific example,” but declined to comment on whether or not there would be exceptions made for young rape victims, saying:
“I am reserving comment until we see a bill.”
Of course. He’ll just quietly pass it. Because if he made a statement explicitly saying he thought it was morally right to force a child to carry the pregnancy of her rapist to term, well, it might make him look bad. Imagine that.
[Images via NBC4 Columbus/YouTube]
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