Ten-year-old rape victim denied abortion in Ohio

The case of a 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who was six weeks pregnant, ineligible for an abortion in her own state, and forced to travel to Indiana for the procedure has spotlighted the shocking impact of the US supreme court ruling on abortion.

The story of the girl came to light three days after the court overturned a nationwide right to terminate pregnancy, and Ohio’s six-week “trigger ban” came into effect.

Dr Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist, said she had received a call from a doctor in Ohio who treats child abuse victims, asking her for help. Indiana’s legislators have not yet banned or restricted abortion, but they are likely to do so when a special session of the state assembly convenes this month.

Abortion providers like Bernard are receiving a sharp increase in the number of patients coming to their clinics from the neighbouring states.

“It’s hard to imagine that in just a few short weeks we will have no ability to provide that care,” Bernard told the Columbus Dispatch.

The case of the 10-year-old girl has placed prominent anti-abortion political figures in the position of balancing the rights of women and girls – including abuse victims – while defending abortion restrictions.

Abortions are now criminal acts in South Dakota unless it is “necessary to preserve the life of the pregnant female”. Cases of incest and rape are not an exception.