Viswa Vanapalli
Amidst the intense controversy surrounding the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, there have been several stories about women traveling to other states for abortion services. That’s because more than half the states had restricted or planned to restrict abortions after the Supreme Court decision. As the furor continued, the story of a 10-year-old caught national attention, leading to even the President talking about it. The little girl had to travel all the way to Indiana to get an abortion after being raped. The authorities alleged that Gerson Fuentes of Columbus, Ohio, was responsible. So, let’s find out more about this then, shall we?
In July 2022, a news article was published about a child abuse doctor in Ohio referring a 10-year-old pregnant girl to a gynecologist in Indiana. Since abortion after six weeks was illegal in Ohio, the young girl had to travel to Indiana; she was six weeks and three days pregnant. The story quickly went viral, but some doubted its veracity, with Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost saying, “More likely that this is a fabrication.”
However, an investigation revealed that the 10-year-old’s plight was all true. The authorities learned that she underwent the abortion procedure towards the end of June 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. They were then led to Gerson Fuentes, a 27-year-old Guatemalan native living in Columbus for the past seven years and working at a local cafe. In a shocking development, the investigators alleged that Gerson sexually assaulted the 10-year-old girl.
Where is Gerson Fuentes Today?
Gerson was charged with felony rape of a minor under age 13, and the police said he admitted to the assault. According to them, Gerson confessed to raping the 10-year-old at least twice, adding,” [he] admitted to having vaginal intercourse with the victim on no less than two occasions.” On July 6, 2022, the girl identified Gerson as the person who assaulted her. Since she recently turned 10, the police believed she got pregnant when she was only nine years old.
The authorities then collected DNA from the Indianapolis clinic to test against Gerson’s biological samples in addition to the girls’ siblings to confirm the sexual assault. The police have held Gerson under custody since July 12, 2022. The prosecution has argued against a bond since he was in the country illegally and hence posed a flight risk. Since then, Gerson has remained under arrest in Ohio and will possibly stay there until legal proceedings end. In the aftermath of his arrest, the mother of the 10-year-old defended Gerson, saying, “She’s fine. Everything that they’re saying against him is a lie.”
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