01/12/2024

Grand Jury Declines to Indict Ohio Woman who Suffered a Miscarriage

Brittany Watts had been accused of abusing a corpse

An Ohio grand jury has declined to indict Brittany Watts, the 34-year-old woman charged with abusing a corpse after experiencing a miscarriage at home in a case that drew national attention to the ways women may be criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes in a post-Dobbs landscape.

The Trumbull County grand jury that had been investigating Watts' case for a month on Thursday returned what's known as a "no bill" for felony abuse of a corpse charges. The charges against Watts were immediately dismissed.

Trumbull County prosecutor Dennis Watkins said that while his office pursued the case, he ultimately agrees that Watts did not violate Ohio's criminal statute concerning the abuse of a corpse.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.