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Ariana Baio
Jul 14, 2022
GOP witness claims 10-year-old’s abortion was not an abortion in House committee ...
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A conservative lawyer and former Indiana deputy Attorney General said he believed a 10-year-old girl who sought an abortion after being raped would have benefitted from having a baby.
James "Jim" Bopp was interviewed by POLITICO following the confirmed story of a girl who was raped and impregnated and forced to seek an abortion in Indiana.
The child, originally from Ohio, was six weeks and three days pregnant which made her ineligible for an abortion in her home state. Crossing the border into Indiana, the young girl was able to obtain one but model legislation under consideration would have prevented her from doing so.
Bopp, 74, who helped authored the model legislation on behalf of the National Right to Life organization told POLITICO he believes the girl should have given birth.
“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,” Bopp said.
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Bopp's comments sparked debate online from people who believe banning abortions in all cases other than when the mother's life is in danger is unfair.
\u201c@adamwren @daveweigel @meganmesserly This is a fucking insane thing to say about anyone let alone a 10 year old child.\u201d— Adam Wren (@Adam Wren) 1657817951
\u201cIt\u2019s alarming that 74 year old Jim Bopp doesn\u2019t know the different between a 5th grade child and woman.\u201d— Stephanie (@Stephanie) 1657820015
The model legislation encourages states to ban all forms of abortion unless it is to save the mother's life. Although it footnotes "it may be necessary in certain states to have additional exceptions, such as for a woman pregnant as a result of rape or incest".
It should be noted, the model legislation only allows for those exceptions if a person formally reports a rape or incest to law enforcement.
“Unless her life was at danger, there is no exception for rape,” Bopp said. “The bill does propose exceptions for rape and incest, in my model, because that is a pro-life position, but it’s not our ideal position.
\u201cSomething people haven't been bringing up so far is that forcing this child to give birth could kill or maim her. A little girl's body simply isn't equipped to carry a pregnancy to term and give birth. And then there's the trauma...\n\nBut people like Jim Bopp don't care.\u201d— Apocalyptica (@Apocalyptica) 1657819537
"We don’t think, as heart-wrenching as those circumstances are, we don’t think we should devalue the life of the baby because of the sins of the father," Bopp added.
If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.
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