Ohio grand jury to decide on indictment for ‘abuse of corpse’ after miscarriage

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

A GRAND JURY IS SET TO HEAR THE CASE OF AN OHIO WOMAN – WHO MISCARRIED HER BABY IN HER BATHROOM AT HOME. AND WE DO WANT TO WARN – SOME OF THESE DETAILS OF THIS STORY MAY BE DISTURBING.

BRITTANY WATTS WAS 22 WEEKS AND 1 DAY PREGNANT – WHEN SHE EXPERIENCED A MISCARRIAGE.

WATTS HAD VISITED HER HOSPITAL TWICE – IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE MISCARRIAGE – COMPLAINING OF CRAMPING AND VAGINAL BLEEDING – AND HAD LEFT THE FACILITY AFTER NOT RECEIVING CARE FOR MORE THAN 8 HOURS.

WATTS’ DOCTOR TOLD HER – THAT HER FETUS HAD A HEARTBEAT BUT WAS NON-VIABLE. WATTS’ WATER HAD BROKEN – AND DOCTORS SAID SHE WOULD ULTIMATELY MISCARRY.

WATTS WAS INELIGIBLE FOR A SAFE, LEGAL ABORTION – AS ABORTION AT THE TIME WAS AGAINST THE LAW AFTER 20-WEEKS OF PREGNANCY IN OHIO.

DAYS LATER – ON SEPT. 22 – SHE PASSED HER NON-VIABLE FETUS IN HER BATHROOM AT HOME. WATTS THEN PROCEEDED TO ATTEND A HAIR APPOINTMENT – AND WAS LATER TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.

AFTER ARRIVING – A NURSE CALLED THE POLICE – TELLING DISPATCH WATTS HAD BEEN TO THE HOSPITAL EARLIER IN THE WEEK – AND LEFT BEFORE RECEIVING MEDICAL CARE – AND THEN SHOWED UP TO THE FACILITY ON THE 22, NO LONGER PREGNANT.

ACCORDING TO THE CALL – THE NURSE ALSO TOLD POLICE – THAT WATTS TOLD HER – SHE PLACED THE FETUS IN A BUCKET OUTSIDE OF HER HOME.

INVESTIGATORS SAY WHEN THEY WENT TO WATTS’ HOUSE – THEY FOUND THE FETUS STUCK IN THE PIPES OF THE TOILET AND THEY TOOK THE TOILET IN FOR EVIDENCE.

WEEKS LATER – THEY ARRESTED WATTS.

WKBN NEWS IN YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO COVERED THE PRELIMINARY HEARING IN NOVEMBER.

AT THE HEARING –FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST -DR. GEORGE STERBENZ TESTIFIED – THAT THE AUTOPSY FOUND NO INJURY TO THE FETUS – AND THAT THE BABY HAD DIED BEFORE PASSING THROUGH THE BIRTH CANAL.

SAYING QUOTE:

“This fetus was going to be non-viable. It was going to be non-viable because she had premature ruptured membranes — her water had broken early — and the fetus was too young to be delivered” 

THE ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR ARGUES THE CASE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD.

[Lewis Guarnieri]

“The issue isn’t how the child died, when the child died — it’s the fact that the baby was put into a toilet, large enough to clog up a toilet, left in that toilet and she went on her day”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

WATTS’ ATTORNEY ARGUES – WATTS IS BEING DEMONIZED FOR QUOTE “SOMETHING THAT GOES ON EVERYDAY” – AND CNN REPORTED THAT OHIO LAW DOES NOT REQUIRE WOMEN WHO HAVE MISCARRIED TO BURY OR CREMATE FETAL REMAINS.

AT THE PRELIMINARY HEARING, THE JUDGE BOUND THE CASE OVER TO A GRAND JURY WHICH WILL DECIDE IF WATTS SHOULD BE INDICTED FOR “ABUSE OF A CORPSE” – A FEDERAL CHARGE THAT COULD PUT WATTS BEHIND BARS FOR A YEAR.

DAYS AGO – THE OHIO PHYSICIANS FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS SENT A PUBLIC LETTER TO THE LEAD PROSECUTOR URGING HIM TO DROP THE CHARGES AGAINST WATTS.

IN THE TIME SINCE WATTS MISCARRIED – OHIO VOTERS PASSED “ISSUE 1” IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION – ENSHRINING REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS INTO OHIO’S CONSTITUTION – DECLARING A PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO “MAKE AND CARRY OUT ONE’S OWN REPRODUCTIVE DECISIONS”

WOMEN IN OHIO CAN NOW RECEIVE AN ABORTION UP TO “FETAL VIABILITY” – DEFINED AS “A SIGNIFICANT LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVAL” OUTSIDE OF THE WOMB.