Arrest made in Ohio child rape, Indiana abortion case 7/14/22 Transcript

President Biden: (00:00) Are you ready to proceed then? Speaker 2: (00:01) Yes. Speaker 3: (00:02) An Ohio man was charged on Wednesday with raping a 10-year-old girl who was later forced to travel to the neighboring state of Indiana to get an abortion. It's a case that's become a political lightning rod because the girl was forced to cross state lines after the US Supreme Court struck down Roe versus Wade last month. Speaker 3: (00:19) Some conservatives had questioned the truth of the story when it was first reported in the Indianapolis Star. However, according to court records, Gerson Fuentes was arrested on Tuesday for the rape charges and arraigned the day after. Police said the 27-year-old appeared to be in the country illegally. Speaker 3: (00:37) A police investigator testified in court that Fuentes raped the girl at least twice. The officer added that the girl underwent an abortion in Indianapolis at the end of June. She had to leave Ohio because of a so-called trigger law that went into effect just hours after the Supreme Court struck down Roe versus Wade, the 1973 decision that established abortion as a constitutional right. Speaker 3: (01:00) Abortions are now criminalized in Ohio after the sixth week of pregnancy, before many women are aware they are pregnant. The Indianapolis star reported the victim could not secure an abortion in the state because she was three days past the limit. Ohio does not include exceptions for rape or incest. Democrat and President Joe Biden highlighted the case in remarks to reporters about abortion access. President Biden: (01:24) Some of the states don't allow for exceptions for rape or incest. This isn't some imagined horror. It's already happening. It's just imagine being that little girl 10 years old. President Biden: (01:35) Does anyone believe that it's Ohio's majority view that should not be able to be dealt with? Or in any other state in the nation? A 10-year-old girl should be forced to give birth to a rapist's child? I can tell you what I don't. I can't think of anything as much more extreme. Speaker 3: (02:00) Fuentes is being held on a $2 million bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing later this month. A court appointed defense attorney for Fuentes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.