Judy: It is a case that has
drawn national attention.
A ten-year-old girl raped in
Ohio.
Her doctor said they could not
terminate the pregnancy because
it would break the state's
six-week abortion ban.
The doctor referred her to a
provider in Indiana, where the
procedure was still legal.
Our Stephanie sy has the story.
Stephanie: The Indianapolis star
broke the story earlier this
month, and president Biden
mentioned it as he signed an
executive order aimed at
protecting reproductive rights.
Pres. Biden: 10 years old.
10 years old.
Six weeks pregnant, already
traumatized, was forced to
travel to another state.
Imagine being that little girl.
I'm serious, just imagine being
that little girl, 10 years old.
Stephanie: But soon conservative
media outlets started
questioning whether the story
was true, and Republican
politicians soon followed,
claiming her story was fake
news.
That includes Ohio's attorney
general Dave Yost in a Fox News
interview on Monday.
>> I know are prosecutors and
cops in this state.
There's not one of them that
wouldn't be turning over every
rock in their jurisdiction if
they had the slightest hint that
this occurred there.
Stephanie: But this did happen.
Yesterday law enforcement
officials in Columbus charged a
27 year old man with raping the
girl.
Yost responded with this
statement: We rejoice anytime a
child rapist is taken off the
streets.
The disturbing case has raised
questions over state abortion
laws going into effect after the
overturning of roe V.
Wade, and how the youngest
victims could be impacted.
I'm joined now by Dr.
Katie Mchugh, an ob-gyn based in
Indianapolis.
Thank you for joining the
newshour.
Dr. Mchugh, I used the word
victim because we're talking
about a girl who was actually
nine when she was raped and
impregnated.
How is that fact that she was
denied access to abortion care,
even though she was just a few
days past that 6 week mark when
abortion becomes illegal in Ohio
-- how has that brought home
what is going on in the wake of
the supreme court's reversal of
Wade?
>> Thank you so much for having
me on, and thank you for that
question.
This case of this poor girl
coming out of Ohio over into
Indiana is not unique.
This is not the only time this
has happened, nor will this be
the only time this ever happens.
We need to have abortion access
so that patients like her and
other people have access to the
health care that they need.
Tragically, this is not
uncommon.
This is not an unusual
circumstance.
All of us who provide abortion
care have stories like this one
where a preteen victim was sent
to us for abortion services,
because impregnation -- because
of impregnation because of rate.
This is tragic.
This is indefensible.
But this is why health care
needs to be accessible for
people.
This is an example of how
legislative and legal
interference in a patient's
bodily autonomy and their
decision to make their own
choices for their bodies is so
important, and so important for
us to protect this right.
Stephanie: Pregnancy always
carry some inherent medical
risk.
Curious whether being so young,
10 years old, you would expect
even more medical complications
that could imperil the health of
a child that young carrying a
pregnancy all the way to term.
>> Great question.
Younger patients have higher
risk of multiple different
medical conditions within
pregnancy.
Everything from diabetes to high
blood pressure, all the way to
complications with delivery,
like needing a c-section simply
because their bones and joints
are not well developed enough
yet for a vaginally birth.
That doesn't even take into
account the mental health
locations for forcing pregnancy
and parenthood on someone at
such a young age.
Stephanie: And would there be
medical risks or repercussions
from having an abortion at that
young of an age?
>> At -- especially at very
early gestational ages, the risk
of having an abortion is so low
as compared to continuing a
pregnancy or continuing to
delivery.
Abortion is incredibly safe.
It is well studied, and it is a
compassionate choice in many
circumstances.
For a patient like the one that
we are discussing, abortion is a
very safe alternative to an
incredibly traumatic and very
dangerous situation.
Stephanie: The national right to
life counsel Jim Bopp said today
about this 10 year old girl
that, "She would have had the
baby, and as many women who have
had babies as a result of rape,
we would hope that she would
understand the reason and
ultimately the benefit of having
the child."
So there are still vocal people
who believe life begins at
conception, saying she should
have had to carry the rapist's
baby.
What do you have to say to those
people?
>> My feeling about that comment
from the attorney is, and I
asked people to feel compassion
for this person.
This person is 10 years old.
She is in the fourth grade.
To ask a person to sacrifice
their entire future to someone
else's ideas, to someone else's
value system, is
incomprehensible and the
definition of inhumane.
This person has her whole life
in front of her, and I am so
glad and grateful that she was
able to get the medical care she
deserved, to be able to have
that life back and to be a
child.
Stephanie Dr. Katie Mchugh, an
: Ob-gyn based in Indianapolis,
thank you for joining the
newshour.
>> Thank you for having me.