In rape case tied to abortion travel, man pleads not guilty

Prosecutors charged a 27-year-old defendant with two felony counts of rape in Franklin County, Ohio. This case caught the national eye when the 10-year-old victim traveled to Indiana to get an abortion because of Ohio’s law protecting babies whose heartbeats can be detected. Police said the defendant confessed on July 12 to raping the girl on two separate occasions. The defendant—unnamed to protect the victim’s identity— is being held without bond and could face life without parole.

What are Indiana’s abortion laws? Currently, the state protects babies after 20 weeks of gestation. But state senators proposed a bill that would safeguard the unborn except to protect the mother from serious injury or in cases of rape or incest. The bill stipulates that a doctor could get his license revoked for helping with an abortion, but the mother would not be punished. A special session to discuss the bill began Monday, and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Indianapolis to sit in with Democrats. The session is set to last two weeks, but senators could vote as soon as Friday, then the bill would go to the House. If enacted, the bill would take effect Sept. 1. 

Dig deeper: Read Samuel D. James’ column in WORLD Opinions on Vice President Kamala Harris’ argument for abortion.