In case you missed it, Brittany Watts, a mother of 3, has been
criminalized for miscarrying at home in Ohio. At 22-weeks pregnant, she
was told by doctors that her pregnancy was no longer viable and later that
week, miscarried alone at home.

[ [link removed] ]Pregnancy loss is not a crime, take action to protect pregnant people
and those in need of reproductive care without harsh penalties.

Brittany is yet another victim of the seemingly endless assaults on
birthing people in this country.

Join us in demanding that prosecutors stop pursuing a criminal indictment
against Brittany Watts.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
Date: Dec 21 2023, 2:27 p.m.
From: Beatriz, MomsRising.org ([email protected])
To: Friend
Subject: QUICK SIGNATURE: A Grave Miscarriage of Justice. Justice for
Brittany Watts

 


Protect Maternal Healthcare! Drop Charge Against Brittany Watts!
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
[ [link removed] ]TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

This story is heartbreaking. A 33-year-old Black mother to three children
is being criminalized for miscarrying at home in Ohio and being charged
with a fifth degree felony, punishable for up to a year. Pregnancy Loss is
NOT a Crime.

[ [link removed] ]Take action for pregnant people and those in need of reproductive care
without harsh penalties!

At almost 22 weeks pregnant, Brittany Watts was at home painfully
processing what doctors had told her just a couple of days prior, that her
pregnancy was not viable. A few days later she miscarried in her bathroom
and returned to the hospital where a nurse called law enforcement.

[ [link removed] ]Brittany should be home healing NOT charged with a crime.

As many as 30 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriages, usually in the
first trimester and often before a woman knows she is pregnant. Late
miscarriages, such as Watts’s, are relatively rare, and doctors say that
there’s no clear guidance for how fetal remains should be handled.

In the past seven years, Ohio is among several states that enacted laws
mandating that products of pregnancy be buried or cremated, although these
rules typically apply to a health-care setting such as a clinic or
doctor’s office rather than individuals who experience a pregnancy loss at
home or elsewhere. A judge last year blocked Ohio’s law from being
enforced pending a legal battle.

[ [link removed] ]Demand prosecutors to drop the charge!

Brittany Watts is still grieving the loss of her pregnancy at a time when
she now has to worry about facing jail time if an Ohio grand jury indicts
her on charges resulting from the potentially fatal miscarriage she
experienced alone at home. It is outrageous and horrific that after
enduring a life threatening miscarriage which, according to her health
care providers, Brittany is now being maliciously prosecuted for a
pregnancy outcome that she never wanted.

[ [link removed] ]Demand that all charges against Brittany Watts be dropped!

A forensic pathologist attested in the coroner’s report that there was no
injury to the fetus and that the fetus had died before passing through the
birth canal. Currently, there is no clear legal guidance in Ohio on how
hospitals and clinics should treat the remains of a miscarriage and yet
Brittany Watts is being cruelly punished by the criminal justice system
for how she handled herself after this traumatic loss.

[ [link removed] ]We must demand that charge be dropped immediately!

Brittany is another victim of the seemingly endless assaults on birthing
people in this country: the maternal mortality crisis, the closure of
maternity wards, strict abortion laws and outright bans, maternal mental
health deserts, and on and on. In this crisis that women and birthing
people are facing, Black women bear the biggest brunt of the onslaught.

Join us, the Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, and many others, in
demanding that prosecutors stop pursuing a criminal indictment against
Brittany Watts. We are clear that this attack is meritless, traumatic and
should be stopped.

[ [link removed] ]Urge Ohio prosecutors to drop the charges against Brittany Watts!

*After you click through to sign on, please post the action link on social
media and share with friends. The more of us who sign on, the faster we’ll
get to real justice.

Thank you for all that you do,

- Beatriz, Diarra, Kelsey, Gina, Monifa, Kristin, and the whole
MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team

P.S.– [ [link removed] ]Let’s continue to make this dream team work. Your end-of-year
donation, no matter the size, sends a powerful message of support to the
MomsRising team to keep going, and right now all donations get a dollar
for dollar match from another generous donor!

References:
[1] “[ [link removed] ]Physicians group asks Watkins to drop case against Brittany Watts”


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