How the story of an Ohio rape victim, 10, in need of an abortion went from fact to fiction
The story of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who allegedly had to cross state lines to get an abortion after the overturning of Roe v Wade may be proven baseless after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said his office didn't hear a "whisper" about the case and said there's "no biological evidence" as a rape kit was not performed.
The disturbing case dominated headlines shortly after the Indianapolis Star reported that a little girl had to leave Ohio to get an abortion as she was denied one in her home state. An Indianapolis-based gynecologist claimed an Ohio child abuse doctor got in touch with her just hours after the Supreme Court's decision. The child was said to be six weeks and three days pregnant, and therefore, ineligible by just three days to get the procedure done in Ohio. Abortion advocates used the case to halt Ohio's six-week abortion limit, but the effort was denied by a judge on Friday, July 8.
ALSO READ
Anesthetist filmed sexually assaulting pregnant woman after heavily sedating her during C-section
Who is Kyle Moorman? Dad and 3 children missing during fishing trip, family offers $10K reward
Speaking to Fox News' Jesse Watters, 65-year-old AG Yost said a police report involving a 10-year-old rape victim was never filed. He said he would have definitely known about the case if one was filed, considering his office "works closely" with law enforcement. "We have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs, not a whisper anywhere," Yost told Fox News on Monday, July 11. "Even more telling, Jesse, my office runs the state crime lab. In any case like this, you're going to have a rape kit, you're going to have biological evidence, and you'd be looking for DNA analysis. There is no case request for analysis that looks anything like this."
The Buckeye State AG also insisted that state prosecutors and cops in Ohio would be "turning over every rock in their jurisdiction if they had to slightest hint that this occurred there." He said he's not even sure if the "originating doctor" exists and that it would be a crime for that doctor to not report the girl's alleged abuse to law enforcement, especially considering she's a minor. "In Ohio, rape of a 10-year-old means life in prison," Yost explained. Meanwhile, Governor Mike DeWine's office also told Fox News it had no record of such a case.
The original report suggested that the girl had to cross state lines to get an abortion due to Ohio's trigger laws, but Yost insisted that is incorrect. "Ohio's heartbeat law has a medical exception, which is broader than just the life of the mother," he explained. "This young girl, if she exists and if this horrible thing actually happened to her - it breaks my heart to think about it - she did not have to leave Ohio to find treatment."
Biden raged last week about trigger laws and the youngster's alleged rape in Ohio. The 79-year-old president personally referenced the story on Friday, using it to promote an executive order that would protect abortions following the Supreme Court decision. "This isn't some imagined horror," Biden cried. "It is already happening. Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim - 10 years old - and she was forced to have to travel out of state to Indiana to seek to terminate the pregnancy and maybe save her life." Biden appeared to become emotional while recounting the story, grasping the podium as he railed about the girl's reported ordeal and the apparent unfairness of the situation. "Imagine being that little girl," the POTUS yelled in yet another emotional appeal to the crowd. "Just imagine being that little girl. Ten years old!"
The original story came from Dr Caitlin Bernard, who spoke to the Indianapolis Star on July 1. However, her account has since been scrutinized after several critics deemed the claims dubious. They pointed out how Bernard did not name the doctor who told her about the alleged situation, nor the city where the child was located. Others noted how Bernard is a vocal abortion advocate, citing her social media activity.
What's more? A number of liberal newspapers like the Washington Post also couldn't retrieve any new information from Bernard. The outlet's 'fact-checker' Glenn Kessler noted in his column that the Indianapolis Star article did not meet basic journalistic standards and that reporter Shari Rudavsky also refused to answer basic questions. Kessler further noted that "the only source cited for the anecdote was Bernard. She’s on the record, but there is no indication that the newspaper made other attempts to confirm her account.”
TOP STORIES
'Thor: Love and Thunder': Fans slammed for demanding trigger warning for CHEMOTHERAPY scene
Who is Felix Rubio? Video shows Uvalde police restraining cop who tried to save daughter
"If this story is true, there is a child rapist who is still at large," the New York Post's Jonathan Turley wrote. "Alternatively, if this was a family member, a child may be living in the same house as her rapist." Turley also noted that there had been a slew of false claims that women could be prevented from traveling for medical care or that ectopic pregnancy treatments were barred just as abortion in some states. "These false accounts can be a dangerous form of disinformation if women believe that they cannot receive treatment for legal procedures," he added.