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Obstetrician and gynecologist Caitlin Bernard of Indianapolis received a call from a fellow Ohio physician who treats victims of child abuse. The Ohio doctor asked Bernard for help because the 10-year-old rape victim was six weeks pregnant and the state of Ohio has severely curtailed the right to abortion after the overthrow of Roe v. Wade. Abortion is now prohibited from six weeks of pregnancy and the 10-year-old girl could not have an abortion in Ohio.
Indiana lawmakers, where Dr. Bernard works, are also on the verge of restricting or banning abortion rights, but for now, abortion laws remain unchanged. Thanks to Bernard, the girl was able to travel from Ohio to Indiana to terminate the pregnancy.
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Protests for free access to abortion were also held in the US over the weekend.
Ⓒ EPA-EFE
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Requests are rising
Bernard says in the British newspaper The Guardian that since the overthrow of Roe v. Wade, the number of abortion requests from other states has skyrocketed. “We are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of patients coming from neighboring states with more restrictive policies,” it said. Typically, five to eight patients a day come from out of state, said McHugh, who works at multiple clinics in central and southern Indiana. That number has risen to 20 patients from outside Indiana a day. “It is difficult to accept that in a few weeks we will no longer be able to provide that care,” said Bernard.
Republican Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, who is mentioned as a possible running mate of Donald Trump in 2024, was a guest on the CNN State of the Union program on Sunday and responded to the girl’s situation. According to Noem, it is “unbelievable that no one is talking about the perverted, horrible and deranged individual who raped a 10-year-old.” When asked if the girl should have the baby, Noem replied that “every life is precious.”
The only remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi (for now) also works on Sundays
Ⓒ AP
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