The 33-year-old Watts, who had not shared the news of her pregnancy even with her family, made her first prenatal visit to a doctor’s office behind Mercy Health-St. Joseph’s Hospital in Warren, a working-class city about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Cleveland.
The doctor said that, while a fetal heartbeat was still present, Watts’ water had broken prematurely and the fetus she was carrying would not survive. He advised heading to the hospital to have her labor induced, so she could have what amounted to an abortion to deliver the nonviable fetus. Otherwise, she would face “significant risk” of death, according to records of her case.
That was a Tuesday in September. What followed was a harrowing three days entailing: multiple trips to the hospital; Watts miscarrying into, and then flushing and plunging, a toilet at her home; a police investigation of those actions; and Watts, who is Black, being charged with abuse of a corpse. That’s a fifth-degree felony punishable by up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
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This the Future Republicans want for their Daughters!
Other people’s daughters, their own they think will be magically excused do to circumstance. (Which will match many of the womens circumstance they wished death upon)
It’s an adaptation of the Just World fallacy.
I think it goes like this: "These things happen to people who… well, somehow God knows this is right for them. Probably punishment for something, maybe not. Punishment is less likely if they’re white and church going.
But it happens for a reason. A justifiable one, even if it’s inscrutable."
I think things happen for reasons too. Just not magical ones.
Edits: markdown is more challenging on mobile.
Civil unrest is still a thing.
Didn’t ohio just vote to solidy abortion rights in their constitution? How do you criminally charge someone after having what is essentially a referendum vote on it, and passing it… and then turning around and doing this shit where they just tell the population to get fucked? Is that how I read this?
Unfortunately since it happened in September it happened before the vote took place. Still despicable though
I feel like a good lawyer should be able to work out the situation now that it’s in effect though … no?
It seems absurd to actively pursue a case where the crime is no longer a crime. Like, a reasonable judge would have to dismiss the case … right?
Edit: also worth noting abortion was not actually illegal in Ohio in September, the Ohio Supreme Court had put a stay on laws going into effect/being reactivated post repeal of Roe.
It was passed in November but didn’t take effect until December 7th. This story happened in September.
… It’s all so tiresome. Woman > Unborn/zygote/dead
Catholic hospital leaves this women sitting and waiting for care while they debate on whether or not to provide treatment because of laws and policies. They never provide her treatment and she goes home. What choice did this poor woman have but to have a miscarriage at home. I can’t begin to imagine the horror and hopelessness this woman endured. She would have been in no good mental state to deal with this and honestly her actions shouldn’t be held against her.
Even if she hadn’t gone to the hospital first, this could happen to anyone. 10-15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, many of them happen at home. Probably even more, but people don’t always realize even when it happens. Just another example in a long list of many many reasons why these anti abortion access laws are wrong. Her actions are not surprising, why would anyone want to be forthcoming about a miscarriage if just acknowledging it may turn the authorities on you? Accusing you of inducing an abortion?
The mother could have died from these delays in care too, this situation can result in sepsis and other complications. As the fetus becomes exposed to the outside world massive infections, fetal death, and then maternal death can all ensue. The first doctor was right, she should go straight to the hospital. But then the hospital just sent her home multiple times with premature ruptured membranes while they deliberate abortion legalities? That’s a hospital admission for continuous monitoring until delivery or an abortion (depending on specifics and gestational age/viability), not a discharge to home and wait situation.
We need these stupid and dangerous laws all struck down yesterday. Anti abortion access laws kill people.
Even if she hadn’t gone to the hospital first, this could happen to anyone.
Hold up…
Watts miscarrying into, and then flushing and plunging, a toilet at her home;
She miscarried the fetus, and tried to flush it.
Warren Assistant Prosecutor Lewis Guarnieri told Ivanchak that Watts left home for a hair appointment after miscarrying, leaving the toilet clogged. Police would later find the fetus wedged in the pipes.
Ohio’s reproductive rights amendment would have ensured she could have gotten help at the hospital, but it would not protect her from the consequences of trying to flush a fetus.
Uh yes? If a miscarriage at home happens deceased fetal products and placenta come out. If they don’t all come out the person may need the assistance of a doctor and D&C to get everything out, any retained products are very dangerous and can result in sepsis and other issues. People everywhere have miscarriages all the time, they often happen at home, and if far enough along there’s often recognizable anatomy. Did you want her to bundle the remains up in a bag and bring it to the police station or what? It may be good to try and show it to a doctor in some circumstances as sometimes light can be shed on what went wrong. Though not exactly a mystery in this case as premature rupture of membranes was clearly the issue that led to fetal demise. And there’s no specific law in Ohio about handling the products of a miscarriage, other than requiring healthcare providers to offer the remains for burial if the mother chooses. And if the hospital hadn’t denied her obviously needed care because of Ohio’s dangerous anti abortion access laws, this all would have been taken care of in the hospital for her before she had to go through all of this at home. I can’t imagine how traumatic the whole experience must have been.
They’re bending some statute relating to corpses in some extreme way it was probably never intended when it was written, they aren’t even alleging she induced an abortion or anything like that. If they really interpret the statute that way, then yes they have criminalized most miscarriages in Ohio. Miscarriages happen every day. Is it “abuse of a corpse” every time a doctor does a D&C and the hospital doesn’t bury it because the mother didn’t want that? Is it “abuse of a corpse” every time a miscarriage happens at home and someone thought it was just a heavy period? People should not be under obligation to bring fetal remains, placenta, and blood clots to the police for examination or something. What a ridiculous idea, it’s a trying enough time when that happens as it is. Some people may prefer some sort of ceremony or burial, but I really think that’s individual preference and should not be a law. Probably why it’s not a law there already, or most places for that matter.
This was the body of a fetus large enough to clog a toilet. If she had managed to get it flushed down the toilet, it would likely be found by a sanitation worker cleaning out the equipment at a sewage treatment plant. That worker would be expected to inform law enforcement upon discovering any human remains, and law enforcement would be expected to conduct an investigation.
The sewer is not an acceptable method of disposing of intact human remains.
Burying it in her back yard would not have been unreasonable. Burning it in a bonfire would not have been unreasonable. Contacting the doctor’s office or hospital for advice would have been preferable. Flushing it, or throwing it in the trash is not.
The only mitigation is that the laws were shit. A suspended sentence is plenty enough leniency for the piss-poor state of the laws at the time.
So what? Products of miscarriage end up in the toilet sometimes, it’s just facts of life here. It’s kind of a natural place to go when fluids and blood are rushing out of you. Law enforcement discovers it was the product of a miscarriage, and that should have been the end of it. There’s not even a law dictating this, and for good reason. But they decide to stretch some other law to an extreme that shouldn’t apply here, to harass a poor women who suffered a tragedy, exacerbated by a system that failed her multiple times and could have easily resulted in her death. She’s the victim here.
The hospital would have provided that help if they didn’t fear potential legal action. She wouldn’t have flushed the fetus if she didn’t fear legal action.
The problem here is the laws.
Also, it’s a non viable fetus. It was never alive. It was never given a birth certificate nor a death certificate. Do you believe she should go to prison for a year after all the trauma she’s been through because she flushed it in a state where the law is against her in every way if they find out this even happened?
I think a maximum of 1 year in prison and/or a $2500 fine is a reasonable punishment for deliberately attempting to flush non-flushable wipes into a sanitary sewer.
Since Ohio has adopted its reproductive rights amendment, I would argue that the maximum punishment is rather lenient. If she flushed that fetus today, I’d support the maximum.
Under the conditions she faced back in September, I’d expect a guilty verdict but a suspended sentence.
I guess all I can really say is…what the fuck is wrong with you, man?
What, a suspended sentence is too lenient?
What the fuck is wrong with you?
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No. Their own abortions are proper, moral, and necessary. It’s everyone else’s (especially marginal communities) abortions that are a travesty and murder.
For those who may not have read this:
This was a great read
This is a terrible tragic story. Republicans are going to eat shit every time there is a story like this. It’s going to grind on like this until the Supreme Court reverses course. I hope Republicans lose big in the mean time.
This is horrific on so many levels. I can’t imagine how much trauma this is all causing. 😭
My first step-mother miscarried my half brother’s twin (without knowing she was even pregnant let alone with twins), and the only reason she knew to dig it out of the toilet to be tested was because she was a nurse.
Expecting a traumatized non-medically trained woman to know the same is stupid at best.
Good grief. 🥺
And yes to the comment. 😔
Also though, if it’s your first or even second miscarriage in a row, they won’t test it anyway. That’s an optional thing you spend a lot of money on. They straight told me there’s nothing we can do for you and there’s no point in testing after 2, because it’s so common that it’s just normal.
If you go to pass it in the hospital that’s thousands of dollars, and only makes sense if you fear for your life. Dealing with the major period at home on the toilet and with adult diapers is way cheaper and much more comfortable in your grief.
Oh they’ll test it now, and they’ll charge you for it.
All true. But this was almost 50 years ago and in Canada.
Although our politicians have swallowed the same cold fruit drink your’s have, we can still count on universal healthcare (and soon universal dental care) to keep us out of that kind of medical debt.
Indeed. And now normal is illegal, apparently.
You need to show me a birth and death certificate for that to be a corpse.
And then she gets a child credit in her taxes.
Unrelated fun fact on child tax credits: There is a section of the internal revenue code that states if your child has been kidnapped, you can still claim the dependent.
This means that at some point in time, somebody lost a child, and their priority was maintaining that sweet, sweet credit to the point that they went to court to argue the matter.
Edit: It’s in Internal Revenue Code section 152
(6)Treatment of missing children (A)In general Solely for the purposes referred to in subparagraph (B), a child of the taxpayer— (i)who is presumed by law enforcement authorities to have been kidnapped by someone who is not a member of the family of such child or the taxpayer, and (ii)who had, for the taxable year in which the kidnapping occurred, the same principal place of abode as the taxpayer for more than one-half of the portion of such year before the date of the kidnapping, shall be treated as meeting the requirement of subsection ©(1)(B) with respect to a taxpayer for all taxable years ending during the period that the child is kidnapped.
You’re making it sound like it’s definitely the parent who is somehow being cruddy.
Lawsuits over tax interpretation don’t happen until years after the fact and they’re initiated by the IRS.Alternative explanation: someone’s kid was kidnapped, so they took their taxes to a tax prep person and told them to deal with it. Tax prep person checked the boxes for the credit and submitted the taxes.
Later, the IRS says you can’t claim them as a dependent and that they don’t live in your house without providing an alternative address.
The IRS sues HR block as the agent of the taxpayer and five years later a judge says that you actually can, so the code is updated and a new checkbox added.You bring up a good point. Unfortunately I don’t have access to case law research to trace the origins of the statute.
Nah, I’m pretty sure it was the parent of a kidnapping victim who lobbied their congressperson to make sure their missing kid didn’t increase their tax burden.
I mean, if the kid hadn’t been so obsessed with free candy, it wouldn’t have even been an issue.
I’m hoping there an /s at the end.
I’m always amazed that people would need to see an /s to understand blanantly obvious in your face sarcasm.
Especially when punctuated with a joke about blaming a kidnapped child for taking the free candy.
Think about what site you’re on for five seconds.
I have ADHD and autism. I do not see subtleties easily.
I don’t think that is how it happened. It probably happened with all the bullshit that goes down with divorce.
It says in there kidnapped by somebody who is not a family matter, so that’s probably not the origin.
Unfortunately, I don’t have access to legal citators anymore, so I don’t think I’ve got the resources to find the true origins. I haven’t thought about this in years, and now I’m super curious.
Please help this nonamerican understand why her skin colour is relevant?
Because if she was white she likely would have received treatment at the hospital
Because in a country with racism in many areas it is always a part of the topic. The medical system already has issues with treatment of black patients. And law enforcement has severe known bias.
Not saying that is the case here but it is often a part of the story.
.
Our legal system has historically been often leveraged disproportionately against black folks. That may or may not be the case here, but perhaps the author thinks so.
Soon public bathrooms in America can have birth certificate dispensers for all the miscarriages that are apparently corpses now.
TL;DR her pregnancy was non-viable. She had a miscarriage, into her toilet at home. She tried to plunger the “blockage”, and was subsequently charged with a crime.
Also she was black. For some reason that’s important enough to be mentioned several times.
The context your tldr is missing is that the hospital she went to ignored her and left her waiting.
Thanks, I skimmed over that.
Her regular doctor told her to go to ER, ER left her waiting while they deliberated over the “legalities” of it, discharging her home just before the legal deadline for a legal medical abortion expired.
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Wtf
