The Criminalization of Miscarriage: A Disturbing Reality in Post-Roe America

Brittany Watts, a Black woman in Ohio, faced criminal charges after experiencing a miscarriage. At 21 weeks and five days pregnant, her water broke prematurely, and doctors advised inducing labor to deliver the nonviable fetus. However, Watts faced a harrowing ordeal, including multiple hospital visits, miscarrying at home, and being charged with abuse of a corpse. Her case has sparked national outrage and highlights the perils faced by pregnant women, particularly Black women, in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Such cases disproportionately target women of color and reflect a concerning trend of criminalizing unintentional harm to pregnancies in the absence of federal abortion protections.