What was Brittany Watts charged with? Grand jury decides not to indict Ohio woman after she miscarried

A grand jury has decided not to indict the Ohio woman Brittany Watts, who was charged with a crime after miscarrying her child at home on Thursday, January 11, 204. Reproductive rights organizations protested against the charges, and the jury dismissed them.

According to a Trumbull County Coroner's Office investigation, Watts miscarried last September and passed her nonviable fetus in her washroom. She was then charged with felony abuse of a body.

Brittany Watts' case demonstrates the degree to which prosecutors can bring charges against a woman whose pregnancy has ended, whether via abortion or miscarriage. They have authority over it even if a coroner's office report stated the fetus had passed away in the womb and was not viable.

Traci Timko, Watts' lawyer, sent an email to CNN stating,

“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.”

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All charges against Brittany Watts have been withdrawn, and the case has been dismissed

Brittany Watts has been cleared by the Trumbull County court (Image via Facebook / Susan Tobias / The Mean Progressive)

Prior to her miscarriage, Brittany Watts had made two visits to Mercy Health-St. Joseph's Hospital. According to the Coroner's Office, Watts was 21 weeks and days pregnant last September when her water broke. Her doctors at Mercy Health - St. Joseph Warren Hospital detected a fetal heartbeat.

The doctor had further informed her that she was carrying an unviable fetus and advised Watts to avoid the development of a potentially fatal infection or "significant risk" of death. However, Watts was still charged with a felony prosecution relating to the same, her counsel informed CNN.

City prosecutors claimed that Brittany Watts miscarried, blocking the toilet and spilling some of the contents outside to a waste area. She allegedly left the residence, leaving the 22-week-old fetus wedged in the pipes. After that, a municipal judge found probable cause to bind over Watts' case.

However, Watts was not charged with abuse of a corpse by the Trumbull County grand jury, according to the county prosecutor's office.

If found guilty, Watts could have spent up to a year in jail and been fined $2,500. However, the case has been withdrawn following the ruling on Thursday.

Following the event, Traci Timko, Brittany Watts' lawyer, expressed her gratitude to the public for their love and support, citing "countless" emails, letters, calls, donations, and prayers for her client, according to USA Today. Timko stated on Thursday in a statement,

“Justice has been served... While the last few months were agonizing for Brittany, the grand jury has spoken and she is vindicated!”

The lawyer further said,

“While Brittany's fight for freedom is over, she stands with women everywhere and will use her story and experience to educate and push for legislation to insure no other woman in the State of Ohio will have to put healing from grief and trauma on a back burner to fight for her freedom and reputation.”

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Reproductive rights organizations and legal experts expressed alarm over the case. They argued that the police and local prosecutors wrongfully charged Brittany and local prosecutors, and that there are no clear guidelines on how to handle an at-home miscarriage. On the other hand, reproductive rights groups expressed dread and widespread criticism of Brittany Watts' case, arguing that charging her was an overreach of the law.

After the 2022 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe V. Wade, pregnant women have been confronted with new state laws that restrict their access to reproductive health care. Following the ruling, other state trigger laws that imposed more limitations or outright banned abortion were implemented nationwide.