Republicans are shocked a 10-year-old can get pregnant after the Ohio rape victim abortion story proves true

Rep. Jim Jordan, a R-Ohio, at a House subcommittee hearing on June 23. Jordan quietly deleted his tweet Wednesday after prosecutors charged a 27-year-old man who they said confessed to the rape, according to court documents. Ting Shen / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Link copiedJuly 15, 2022, 2:40 AM +05By Scott Wong

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans who oppose abortion rights are struggling to talk about the horrific case of a 10-year-old rape victim who had to travel across state lines to Indiana to get an abortion because of strict laws in her home state, Ohio.

The case made international headlines after President Joe Biden decried Republican policies that forced the "already traumatized" child to have to travel out of state to terminate the pregnancy. Republicans and right-wing media criticized Biden, suggesting the case had been fabricated, only for a suspect to be arrested days later.

Confronted with the reality of the case, GOP lawmakers interviewed Thursday appeared to be grappling with how to respond — from confusion to blaming the media.

Many expressed shock that it was even biologically possible for the 10-year-old child to become pregnant. Some said they were torn “morally” about whether abortions should be allowed in cases of incest or rape, as in the Ohio case. And others tried to turn the conversation to the undocumented immigrant who prosecutors allege raped the girl.