Ohio man sentenced to life in prison for rape of 10-year-old girl who traveled for abortion

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The man charged with raping a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who had to seek abortion care in Indiana last year was immediately sentenced to life in prison after changing his plea to guilty. Gerson Fuentes was charged with two felony counts of rape in a case that drew national scrutiny in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, triggering a wave of state-level abortion bans that have created legal and medical minefields for providers and their patients across the US. Fuentes also could face an additional five years in prison Ohio Common Pleas Court Judge Julie Lynch she would have sentenced Fuentes to life in prison without possibility of parole, if the girl’s family had not “begged” her to agree to the sentence, a “very hard pill for this court to swallow,” the judge said. Gerson Fuentes is pictured at a bond hearing in July 2022 Obstetrician-gynecologist Dr Caitlin Bernard, who had briefly mentioned the case to reporters last year, was reprimanded by Republican state officials and targeted by right-wing media, who falsely suggested that the crime against the 10-year-old girl was fake, demanded to see criminal and medical records, and fuelled a barrage of attacks baselessly accusing the doctor of failing to notify law enforcement about her patient’s case.