Ohio AG Dave Yost should resign over comments about 10-year-old rape victim, Democrats say
Laura A. Bischoff
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Liz Walters wants Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, to resign over his comments about the 10-year-old girl who traveled to Indiana to abort her pregnancy caused by rape.
But Yost has no plans of resigning.
"The Ohio Democratic Party has such little faith in its candidate for attorney general that it is resorting to throwing hail Marys, which will be swatted down by Ohio voters," said Yost campaign spokeswoman Amy Natoce.
Yost is running for reelection against Democrat Jeff Crossman, a state representative from Parma. Crossman has criticized Yost for his comments about the 10-year-old girl.
Abortion:Ohio's Republican lawmakers have no plans to exempt rape, incest from abortion ban
Ohio abortion law bars termination once cardiac activity can be detected, which is as early as six weeks gestation. The procedure is legal beyond this threshold only if it's necessary to prevent the pregnant person's death or "serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."
Yost said the child didn't have to leave Ohio for treatment, saying she would have qualified for a medical emergency. Doctors and lawmakers disagreed.
Before criminal charges were brought against a suspect, Yost questioned whether the case was real.
Walters said "His first move was to go on national TV and question her story and spread misinformation about the law he helped implement, then continued to question her story through state and national media."
Who was the last AG to resign?
Democrat Marc Dann stepped down from office in May 2008 following a drumbeat from within his own party. He was threatened with impeachment.
Dann's administration was mired in controversies and missteps. A report by two of his office's attorneys described widespread mismanagement, cronyism and tolerance for sexual harassment in his office. Dann also admitted to having an affair with a 28-year-old female staffer, which he acknowledged may have created an atmosphere for harassment.
"My conduct has caused the creation of a firestorm of negative publicity that has reached a point where it is preventing the great professionals in the office from doing their important work," Dann said at the time. "The only way I can ensure that the great work in the office can continue is to take responsibility by resigning."
Walters said Dann and Yost are "not apples to apples."
Dann has since rebuilt his career as an attorney, focusing on consumer protection and workers' interests.
Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.