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“This is not an imaginary horror. It’s already happening. Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was raped, 10 years old, and was forced to travel out of state to Indiana to try to terminate the pregnancy and perhaps save her life.
— President Biden, observations during the signing of the executive order on access to abortion, on July 8
Update: An arrest has been made in this case, providing additional confirmation. More details below.
This is the account of a single source story that quickly went viral around the world, and in the president’s talking points.
The Supreme Court’s annulment of Roe vs. Wade, which had guaranteed the right to abortion, has prompted several states to quickly impose new laws to restrict or limit abortions. Ohio was one of the first to impose a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape and incest.
On July 1, the Indianapolis Star, also known as the IndyStar, ran an article, written by the paper’s medical writer, about how women seeking abortions had begun traveling from Ohio to Indiana, where less restrictive abortion laws still existed. . “Patients Head to Indiana for Abortion Services as Other States Restrict Care,” the article headlined.
That was a benign headline. But it was the anecdotal start that caught the attention of other news organizations. The article said that three days after the June 24 court ruling, an Indianapolis OB/GYN, Caitlin Bernard, who performs abortions, received a call from “a child abuse doctor” in Ohio who had a 10-year-old patient. who was six years old. weeks and three days of pregnancy. Unable to obtain an abortion in Ohio, “the girl soon made her way to Indiana to be cared for by Bernard,” the Star reported.
The only source cited for the anecdote was Bernard. She is registered, but there is no indication that the newspaper has made other attempts to confirm her version. The story’s lead reporter, Shari Rudavsky, did not respond to a question about whether additional sources were obtained. A Gannett spokeswoman provided comment from Bro Krift, the newspaper’s executive editor: “The facts and sources about people crossing state lines into Indiana, including the 10-year-old girl, for abortions are clear. We have no additional comment at this time.”
The story quickly caught fire and became a headline in newspapers around the world. News organizations increasingly “aggregate,” or repackage, reports from elsewhere if they seem of interest to readers. So Bernard remained the sole source, and other news organizations did not follow up to confirm his version.
The Daily Mail, July 1: “10-Year-Old Child Abuse Victim Who Was Six Weeks Pregnant Is Forced To Travel From Ohio To Indiana For Abortion After State Of Origin Outlaws It Under Roe v Wade.”The Guardian, July 3: “10-Year-Old Rape Victim Forced to Travel from Ohio to Indiana for Abortion.”The Jerusalem Post, July 3: “10-year-old rape victim denied abortion in Ohio”Bangladesh Weekly, July 3: “USA USA: 10-year-old Ohio girl denied abortion after abortion ruling”
On CNN’s Sunday talk show on July 3, South Dakota Governor Kristi L. Noem was pressed about the story. Noem, a Republican who opposes abortion rights, said the story was “tragic” and the focus should be on the rapist. “As much as we can talk about what we can do for that little girl, I think we also need to address the sick people who do this to our children,” she said.
Under Ohio law, a physician, as a mandated reporter under Ohio Revised Code 2151.421, would be required to report any known or suspected physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect of a child to his or her local child welfare agency or law enforcement agency. of the law. So, Bernard’s colleague would have had to make such a report to the police at the same time he contacted Bernard. Presumably a criminal case would then have been opened.
Bernard refused to identify to the fact-checker his colleague or the city where the boy was located. “Thank you for contacting us. I’m sorry, but I don’t have any information to share,” he said in an email.
Dan Tierney, press secretary for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), said the governor’s office was not aware of any specific cases, but said that under the state’s decentralized system, records would be kept at the local level. Therefore, he said, it would be difficult to confirm a report without knowing the local jurisdiction to narrow the search. He added: “The rape of a ten-year-old boy would certainly be newsworthy.”
As a random check, we contacted children’s service agencies in some of Ohio’s most populous cities, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo. None of the officials we contacted were aware of such a case in their areas.
DeWine, when asked about the report Wednesday, called it a tragedy and said the doctor in question presumably reported it to police. “We obviously have a rapist out there,” he told reporters. “We have someone who is dangerous and we have someone who should be stopped and locked up forever.”
An abortion of a 10-year-old child is quite rare. The Columbus Dispatch reported that in 2020, 52 people under the age of 15 had an abortion in Ohio.
This is a very difficult story to verify. Bernard is registered, but obtaining documents or other confirmation is nearly impossible without details identifying the location where the rape occurred.
However, with news reports around the world and now a presidential go-ahead, the story has acquired the status of “fact” no matter where it came from. If a rapist is ever accused, the fact would finally have a more solid basis.
Update, July 13: The Columbus Dispatch reported that a 27-year-old Columbus man had been accused of impregnating a 10-year-old Ohio girl who had traveled to Indianapolis for an abortion on June 30. Gershon Fuentes was arrested on July 13 “after police said he confessed to raping the girl on at least two occasions,” the newspaper reported. “He has since been charged with rape, a first degree felony in Ohio.”
A police detective testified that “Columbus police learned of the girl’s pregnancy through a Franklin County Children’s Services referral made by her mother on June 22,” the Dispatch said. While reporting this story, the fact checker contacted the Franklin County agency to ask if such a reference had been made. Unlike similar Ohio County agencies we contacted, Franklin County officials did not provide a response.
The detective also testified that “DNA from the clinic in Indianapolis is being tested against samples from Fuentes, as well as from the boy’s siblings, to confirm his paternity.”
This is an interesting example of the limitations journalists face in corroborating these types of stories without evidence confirmed by the police. Should Bernard have disclosed the case before the police charged a suspect? Should IndyStar have posted their account without a second source? Should other news organizations have repeated the story without doing their own reporting? Those are questions that are beyond the scope of the Fact Checker, but worth considering by readers and media pundits.
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Source: www.washingtonpost.com