WSJ editorial board adds editor’s note over abortion story it called ‘fanciful’

The Wall Street Journal added an editor’s note on Wednesday to its recent editorial that had cast doubt on the story of a 10-year-old Ohio girl crossing state lines for an abortion after being raped.

The Journal’s editorial, which called the abortion story a “fanciful” tale and an “unlikely story” after it was cited by President Biden, was updated on Wednesday afternoon after the The Columbus Dispatch confirmed an arrest in the case earlier in the day.

“The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday, a day after this editorial was published, that a Columbus, Ohio, man has been charged with the rape of a 10-year-old Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion,” the editor’s note reads.

“The Dispatch reports that Columbus police were made aware of the pregnancy through a referral to local child services by the girl’s mother on June 22, though no public confirmation of the referral or arrest was reported until the Dispatch story on July 13.”

The original editorial did not definitively say the story was false but questioned its authenticity, saying “all kinds of fanciful tales travel far on social media.”

The piece instead suggested a different theory, writing that the obstetrician-gynecologist who relayed the girl’s case to the Indianapolis Star, which first reported the story on July 1, had a “long history of abortion activism in the media.”

“What we seem to have here is a presidential seal of approval on an unlikely story from a biased source that neatly fits the progressive narrative but can’t be confirmed,” the editorial read.

The Journal’s editorial board also cited Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R), who told Fox News’ Jesse Watters that his office hadn’t heard “a whisper” of a report being filed for such a young victim, despite regular contact with prosecutors, police and sheriffs in the state.

Columbus police became aware of the case 19 days before Yost’s appearance but did not make an arrest until the day after the interview, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

“My heart aches for the pain suffered by this young child,” Yost said in a statement on Wednesday.

Many Democrats have latched onto the story in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Vice President Harris mentioned the case during a roundtable discussion with state legislators on abortion on Friday, hours after Biden had referenced the story when signing an executive order aimed at protecting abortion access.

“Ten years old,” Biden said. “Raped, six weeks pregnant. Already traumatized. Was forced to travel to another state. Imagine being that little girl.”