A 10-year-old rape victim traveled to Indiana for an abortion after being denied the procedure in Ohio following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last month, showcasing the effect their decision to roll back federal abortion rights is already having.
The girl, who was six weeks and three days pregnant, was treated by an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Caitlin Bernard after she was contacted by an Ohio doctor who specialized in child abuse victims. In Ohio, abortions are illegal at the point of a heartbeat, which is usually around six weeks.
Doctors like Bernard have reported a sharp uptick in patients traveling from states that acted quickly to eliminate or reduce the right to abortion in their states following the high court’s ruling. However, Bernard and other Indiana doctors may not be able to take patients from other states for much longer as Indiana is also set to restrict abortion access later this month in a special session of the state assembly.
