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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Monsters made these laws.
These people hate women so much
It was never a person, so it can’t be a corpse.
Pretty strange definition of a corpse you have there. Animals aren’t people, so they can’t be corpses?
Their fetuses aren’t corpses, but the animals’ are.
And you know full well that’s what I meant. Don’t try to pick an argument where there is none.
Your argument of it not being able to be a corpse because it was “never a person” is ridiculous, that’s why I called it out. It is a corpse of a fetus. Look up the definition of the word corpse.
This is messed up.
Assuming the woman pictured is the woman being charged…just goes to show that these laws were invented to target minorities.
No law ever written targets blonde cheerleaders named Amber or Megyn. If you look at convictions and sentencing, it’s clear that prosecutors and judges get it.
What laws exactly do you think were “invented to target minorities”?
This woman refused the abortion that her doctors recommended to her multiple times. She then had the stillbirth and decided to just flush it down the toilet. That’s heinous behaviour on her part.
Every law that vilifies or makes it challenging to access abortions. I don’t know about Ohio, but any of that stupid BS about forcing the women to look for or even listen to a fetal heartbeat for instance.
And there’s nothing heinous about what she did.
“As citizens, we are outraged that the criminal justice system is being used to punish Ms. Watts who, like thousands of women each year, spontaneously miscarried a non-viable fetus into a toilet and then flushed,” the group said in an open letter to the Trumbull County prosecutor.
I think the charges are absolutely ridiculous… there was no victim here, at least not until charges were placed.
Are you not even reading what’s being said? She was offered an abortion. Multiple times. She eventually agreed……then walked out.
Flushing a fetus is heinous. There doesn’t need to be a victim. There are many victimless crimes that are prosecuted. This deserves to be one.
I’m pro abortion, pro choice. I’m not pro flushing dead fetuses down the toilet.
She wasn’t necessarily “offered”. You make it seem like she was on the operating table and walked out when the doctor entered the room. That’s not what happened.
What is a woman who miscarries into a toilet supposed to do? And what’s so heinous about that? Or, let me rephrase…what is so heinous that we need to punish the woman who had to go through that heinous situation? It just seems like punishing the victim.
She wasn’t necessarily “offered”.
She was though. It was recommended to her as the course of action on 3 separate occasions when she went in. She walked out all 3 times, one time while they were prepping for the abortion.
What is a woman who miscarries into a toilet supposed to do?
Not attempt to flush it down the toilet. Not try to just throw it away. Call an ambulance. Call the police. Call the fire station. Call anyone.
It just seems like punishing the victim.
She wasn’t a victim of anything.
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.
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.
They didn’t ignore those parts though. She was offered a legal abortion multiple times. When she finally accepted, instead of refusing and walking out like the previous few times, she then…walked out because it was taking too long lol.
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.
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.
In a post Roe vs. Wade world, are the waters muddied? Of course they are.
No, because she legally could have had the abortion and was offered the abortion, but again - she just kept leaving against the doctors recommendations.
A traumatized women makes foolish decisions, and you fuckers want to politicize it. Revolting.
You’re the one trying to politicize it by bringing up Roe v Wade lol.
