10-year-old rape victim forced to travel to another state to get an abortion in the USA

The US Supreme Court's decision to revoke the right to abortion has already had grave consequences for the American population. While several conservative states have rushed to ban abortion in their respective territories, a pregnant girl, aged only 10, has been hit hard by these new laws, as reported by Le Parisien on Saturday 2 July 2022.

Ohio girl forced to travel to Indiana for abortion

Shortly after the official revocation of the right to abortion by the US Supreme Court, some states, such as Ohio, Texas and Tennessee, took legal measures to prohibit voluntary abortion. In Ohio, abortion is now illegal after six weeks of pregnancy. As a result, a 10-year-old girl who was six weeks and three days pregnant was forced to travel to the neighbouring state of Indiana to have an abortion, as reported by the Indianapolis Star.

Indiana's abortion law has not yet been changed, but it is expected to be soon. One of the state's clinics, cited by the Indianapolis Star says it is receiving ‘an insane amount of requests’ from women in neighbouring states where abortion has been banned or restricted. The number of people from other states has increased dramatically at this clinic, from 5 to 20 per day.

The case of the 10-year-old girl is a matter of debate across the Atlantic

The controversy surrounding the case of the 10-year-old girl is starting to gain momentum in the United States. According to The Guardian, the girl was a victim of rape.

There had already been debates among Ohio state officials before the new abortion regulations were passed following the Supreme Court decision. After being asked about the hypothetical case of a 13-year-old who became pregnant after a rape, Ohio Representative Jean Schmidt responded:

It's unfortunate that this is happening, but there's an opportunity for that woman, whether she's young or old, to decide what she's going to do to help that life be a productive human being.

This article is translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

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