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.

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.

  • @evidences
    link
    6411 months ago

    The real fucked up part of this is Ohioans just voted to codify abortion and reproductive rights into the state constitution. This is just some assholes trying to find ways around that amendment.

    • SuperDuper
      link
      5011 months ago

      We also voted to legalize weed and Republicans are trying to kneecap it by removing the right to grow any plants at home, limiting the amount you can carry, and limiting the concentration of THC allowed in any product.

      Republicans hate democracy.

      • @Riccosuave
        link
        8
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        To be fair these are some of the same legal courses of action states like Washington have taken as well. Even legal cannabis is still a web of suppressive government bureaucracy, monopolistic tax structures, and punitive legal frameworks. We aren’t even close to what I would consider a just or equitable system, and every year it gets more heavily gentrified in favor of corporations who don’t give a single fuck about anybody who has suffered due to the war on drugs.