The Ohio woman who was recently charged with a felony following her miscarriage will not be indicted, according to a new court ruling.
Announced Thursday, the Trumbull County grand jury decided that Brittany Watts, 34, will not be charged following her miscarriage at her home in Warren, Ohio on Sept. 22. In their final decision, they returned a “no bill,” choosing not to indict Watts for the abuse of a corpse charge that would’ve given her a sentence up to a year in prison.
Watts miscarried her fetus at 21 weeks; she previously visited the doctor after she had begun passing thick blood clots. The medical professionals told her that her water had already broken and, after going to the hospital multiple times, Watts miscarried at home into the toilet.
She proceeded to flush and plunge the toilet. After receiving a call from the hospital where Watts was checked in after she miscarried and developed a life-threatening hemorrhage, a police investigation was started. Although the fetus had died in her womb, Watts was charged with abuse of a corpse.
Following the announcement that she wasn’t going to be indicted, Watts and her lawyer Taci Timko spoke to a number of supporters who had come to protest in support of Watts.
“I want to thank my community — Warren. Warren, Ohio,” said Watts per AP News. “I was born here. I was raised here. I graduated high school here, and I’m going to continue to stay here because I have to continue to fight.”
The charging of Watts comes amidst increased attempts by the GOP to restrict abortions.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, they’ve conceded to multiple abortion bans.
On Jan. 5 this year, although the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of an appeal, they ruled to allow Idaho’s abortion ban.
Under their “Defense of Life Act,” anyone who gets an abortion is targeted with the threat of penalties, including a five-year jail sentence. Any health professional will lose their license if they perform an abortion.
The only exception that permits an abortion is if it’s to protect the life of a pregnant woman.
Although all women are in danger with the recent law changes, the stricter abortion laws disproportionately affect Black women as they deal with higher rates of abortions and maternal deaths as well as a lack of access to adequate health care.
“For Black women and birthing people especially, the disparities and inequities are persistent and staggering,” said the National Partnership for Women & Families in a report. “Combined with high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, the loss of access to abortion is yet another inequity birthing people face.”
