It was fair for skeptics to point out Bernard was the Star’s sole on-the-record source, but there was no proof that Bernard was lying. Instead, they promoted their doubts about the story to insinuate this 10-year-old pregnant rape victim did not exist, because she represented a weakness in their efforts to pass increasingly restrictive and punitive abortion laws. The pivot to target Bernard was an effort to intimidate political opponents and distract from the painful-but-necessary debate America must have in the wake of Roe’s downfall.

I am personally pro-life, believe there is a wonderful potential in every unborn child, and that it is heartbreaking when any woman does not feel safe and supported in continuing her pregnancy. I also believe that we can be most effective at protecting unborn babies by protecting their mothers, and I cannot support policies that put mothers’ lives at risk.

The story of this particular Ohio girl is shocking because of her tender age, but the tragic statistic she represents is sadly not rare at all, and politicians and activists seeking to ban or restrict access to abortion must acknowledge what exactly we are demanding these young girls’ bodies to bear…

The pro-life movement must have a reckoning, to examine how we can most effectively protect life, which includes examining how our laws and actions may result in pain, trauma, and even death. And after day upon day of these pundits and politicians crying wolf about the story being fake and the doctor being a criminal, they’ve forfeited their ability to effectively advocate for the young victim.