New state laws forced parents of child to take her out-of-state to have an abortion
by Kevin Seraaj. Orlando Advocate
An Ohio man pled guilty on Wednesday to charges he raped and impregnated a 9-year-old child. Gerson Fuentes, 28, of Columbus, Ohio may spend the rest of his life in jail for his crime. And he may not. Fuentes confessed to the rape after the child identified him as her attacker and DNA testing of the aborted fetus confirmed he was the father.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Ohio moved quickly to pass new legislation banning abortions. Lawmakers chose to do so “at the first detectable fetal heartbeat.” A fetal heartbeat can be detected approximately six weeks into a pregnancy, which is before many women even know they are pregnant. And the laws there only allow for three exceptions to the abortion ban:
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Ohio moved quickly to pass new legislation banning abortions at the first detectable “fetal heartbeat.” This effectively amounted to a complete abortion shut-down since a fetal heartbeat can be detected approximately six weeks into a pregnancy– before many women even know they are pregnant.
With only three exceptions to the abortion ban: cases of ectopic pregnancy; cases that would cause death of the mother; and cases posing a serious risk of substantial, irreversible impairment to a major bodily function of the mother– and no exception for rape– the child’s parents were forced to take her to another state to have an abortion performed. The girl turned 10 before the procedure could be done.
Fuentes was sentenced to life in prison but because of the plea deal struck by his lawyers, he will be eligible for parole in 25 years. Fuentes is from Guatemala and apparently living in Ohio illegally. Authorities could find no record of his entering the country or applying for citizenship.
Should Fuentes ever be paroled, he will have to register as a sex offender and then face likely deportation.
