Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) apparently continues to have little to say about the claim made by Joe Biden Friday that a 10-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and became pregnant traveled from Ohio to Indiana to obtain an abortion.
On Friday the Ohio Capital Journal led with the headline, “DeWine: No Comment on Abortion Ban that Forced a Child to Indiana,” and added, “Ohio governor signed ban, but will only say rape is wrong.”
Marty Schladen wrote at Ohio Capital Journal:
The story has made national news. But DeWine seemed unprepared Wednesday to discuss whether legislation he championed is forcing children out of state if they don’t want to have their rapists’ babies.
“Yeah, first of all, I have no more information than you do or anybody does,” the governor said. “Reading in the, in the paper, it came, came as you know, from a story out of out of Indiana from, from a doctor over there.”
DeWine reportedly described the idea of a 10-year-old being raped as “gut-wrenching,” and said he hoped the girl’s doctors would report the assault to law enforcement.
“But he didn’t address the fact that a law he signed put girls like her in such an onerous situation,” Schladen wrote, adding Dan Tierney, DeWine’s press secretary, was asked “whether the governor thinks juvenile rape victims who become pregnant should be able to get abortions, or whether he believes they should be forced to carry their pregnancies to term.”
“You have access to Governor DeWine’s recent comments on these issues, including that the only information available on the Indiana matter was from Indiana media reports,” Tierney reportedly said. “I do not have further comment for you beyond yesterday’s remarks and the Governor’s numerous and extensive comments since the” Court’s ruling that returned abortion issues to the states.
The Star News Network reached out Monday to Tierney to ask for further information concerning reports of such a rape in Ohio, either with police or child protective services, and is still awaiting a response.
“We have out there, obviously, a rapist,” DeWine said last week, according to Cincinnati.com. “We have someone who is dangerous and we have someone who should be picked up and locked up forever.”
The issue of an alleged rape of a minor child appears to be critical, yet neither Biden nor his allies in government or the media expressed concern about the issue.
While multiple media outlets are unable to substantiate Biden’s story, which originated with the Indianapolis Star, he nevertheless appeared to be attempting to shame pro-life states as he announced his executive order to allow more abortions.
Pro-abortion media joined in to spread the story of the alleged 10-year-old, though its sole source is Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an abortion activist with ties to Planned Parenthood, and an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Bernard has not responded to The Star News Network’s request for further details about her claim, and had nothing to share with other media outlets, reports state.
The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler, who conducted one of the fact-checks of the story, wrote Tierney said DeWine’s office was not aware of any specific case as the situation in the IndyStar story, and that it would be difficult to confirm a police report without knowing the local jurisdiction.
“The rape of a 10-year-old certainly would be newsworthy,” Tierney reportedly told Kessler, who added:
As a spot check, we contacted child services agencies in some of Ohio’s most populous cities, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo. None of the officials we reached were aware of such a case in their areas.
PJ Media writer Megan Fox, who began fact-checking Biden’s story, wrote Thursday DeWine’s defensive stance is “how we lose”:
This Is How We Lose: Gov. DeWine on Defense Instead of Offense Over Dubious Tale of 10-Year-Old Rape Victim https://t.co/ix5KsqmUZj
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) July 7, 2022
“[I]n in typical Republican fashion, DeWine didn’t fight back in any real way and it’s too bad because this story could be blown to bits—OR verified and a rapist could be caught with a simple police investigation,” Fox wrote. “But justice for raped and abused children isn’t what pro-abortion activists or their pals in the rabid corporate media care about. What they want is more abortions, and they don’t care how many abused children have to be used as political pawns to get them.”
On the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe, DeWine announced his “Bold Beginning” initiative in which he plans to invest more than $1 billion “to provide prenatal care, parenting classes, mentoring, education, and nutrition assistance to pregnant mothers and their families.”
“Bold Beginning: Ohio Mothers and Children First provides supportive services to pregnant mothers and their families, ensuring that every child gets the very best possible start in life,” the program’s website states.
Our Bold Beginning initiative is investing more than $1B to provide prenatal care, parenting classes, mentoring, education, and nutrition assistance to pregnant mothers and their families. Learn more about this ongoing support for mothers and children at https://t.co/LRmQZxGTNj. pic.twitter.com/pV1gO6CiRn
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 24, 2022
“Those of you who are pro-choice believe this is a matter of freedom and is a decision only the woman can make,” DeWine said in prepared remarks upon the announcement of the Court’s decision in Dobbs.
“Those who are pro-life, including my wife Fran and me, believe that the life of a human being is at stake and that we have an obligation to protect that innocent life,” he added, calling for “respect” of different views as the issue of abortion continues to be debated.
“I believe that all Ohioans want this state to be the most pro-family, pro-child state in the country, and we are making great progress in creating an environment here in Ohio where families and children can thrive and live up to their full potential,” DeWine said.
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike DeWine” by Governor Mike DeWine. Background Photo “Joe Biden” by The White House.
