10-year-old rape victim in US forced to cross state lines for abortion
India Today
A 10-year-old rape victim in the US's Ohio was forced to go to Indiana for an abortion after the state banned the procedure following the supreme court ruling on June 24.
A 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who was six weeks pregnant was forced to travel to Indiana to get an abortion after she became ineligible to get the procedure in her own state. Ohio’s six-week “trigger ban” came into effect on June 24 after the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision that legalised abortion in the country.
The case has become a touchstone to spotlight the impact of the court ruling on abortion.
Dr Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynaecologist, told the Columbus Dispatch that she received a call from a colleague doctor in Ohio asking for her help to treat the child victim.
Many abortion providers across states have reported a sharp increase in the number of patients coming to their clinics for abortions from neighbouring states. According to The Guardian, abortion is not yet illegal in Indiana but lawmakers are likely to ban or restrict the procedure when a special session of the state assembly convenes later this month.
“It’s hard to imagine that in just a few short weeks we will have no ability to provide that care,” said Bernard.
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The case of the 10-year-old girl has made prominent anti-abortion political figures take the difficult position of balancing women’s rights while defending restrictions on abortion.
