Man charged with rape of girl, 10, who traveled for abortion

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man has been charged in Ohio with the rape of a 10-year-old girl whose case drew national attention when a doctor said the child had to travel to Indiana for an abortion because of new restrictions in her home state after the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling.

The suspect was arraigned Wednesday, days after some conservatives, including Ohio’s Republican governor and attorney general, had raised questions about whether the case was real. Abortion rights supporters had pointed to the story to highlight fallout from the Supreme Court ruling.

A detective testified Wednesday that Columbus police learned about the girl’s pregnancy through a referral by Franklin County Children Services that was made by her mother on June 22, and that she had an abortion in Indianapolis on June 30, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

An Indianapolis physician who provides abortion services, Dr. Caitlin Bernard, had told The Indianapolis Star that an abortion had been provided for such a child because the girl couldn’t get the abortion in Ohio, which had a newly imposed state ban on abortions at the first detectable “fetal heartbeat.”

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