An Ohio woman who’d sought treatment at a hospital before suffering a miscarriage and passing her nonviable fetus in her bathroom now faces a criminal charge, her attorney told CNN.

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/6666536

(CNN) — An Ohio woman who had sought treatment at a hospital before suffering a miscarriage and passing her nonviable fetus in her bathroom now faces a criminal charge, her attorney told CNN.

Brittany Watts, 33, of Warren, has been charged with felony abuse of a corpse, Trumbull County court records show.

“Ms. Watts suffered a tragic and dangerous miscarriage that jeopardized her own life. Rather than focusing on healing physically and emotionally, she was arrested and charged with a felony,” her attorney, Traci Timko, told CNN in an email.

“Ms. Watts’ case is pending before the Trumbull County Grand Jury. I have advised her not to speak publicly until the criminal matter has resolved.”

Though a coroner’s office report said the fetus was not viable and had died in the womb, Watts’ case highlights the extent to which prosecutors can charge a woman whose pregnancy has ended – whether by abortion or miscarriage.

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  • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
    226·
    11 months ago

    She could have had a legal abortion.

    She walked away from medical advice. TWICE.

    Y’all even read the article? It’s a strange case with some unanswered questions, but this doesn’t appear to be an abortion thing.

    Betting she freaked out, couldn’t handle it mentally, handled it badly thereafter. In any case, not a case for prosecution.

    • girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
      20·
      11 months ago

      I take it you ignored these parts of the article …

      Though a coroner’s office report said the fetus was not viable and had died in the womb

      Watts returned on September 20 expecting to be induced to deliver her preterm pregnancy, according to The Washington Post. But for hours doctors and officials mulled the ethics of inducing labor for a woman who had been diagnosed with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), had no detectable amniotic fluid, was bleeding vaginally and had advanced cervical dilation, the Post reported. Watts eventually left.

      • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
        615·
        11 months ago

        for hours doctors and officials mulled the ethics (emphasis mine)

        Doesn’t sound like they were considering the law. Neither you nor I are medical professionals, neither you nor I was there. Fuck knows what really happened.

        In a post Roe vs. Wade world, are the waters muddied? Of course they are. Was this a case of that? I’m not certain. But you sure as fuck are.

        However, “Brittany Watts signed herself out of the hospital against medical advice

        The next day, September 20, Watts returned “for the same issue and left against medical advice again,” the coroner’s office report states.

        A traumatized women makes foolish decisions, and you fuckers want to politicize it. Revolting.

        • MagicShel@programming.dev
          9·
          11 months ago

          Maybe she just didn’t want an outrageous hospital bill.

          Also note that they were debating inducing labor instead of just doing a regular abortion. It looks to me like this ethical debate is because the medically indicated abortion is illegal and thus they have to consider alternative means to the same goal. I’m not certain, but I also don’t have another explanation.

          At any rate, it was politicized by the folks charging her for flushing away discharge.