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Brittany Watts was arrested in October and charged with abuse of
a corpse, but a Trumbull County grand jury hearing the case
voted against indicting, avoiding a trial.
Her case had been closely watched for its implications in the
wider U.S. divide over abortion rights, which are no longer
guaranteed in every state after the U.S. Supreme Court struck
down the landmark Roe v. Wade precedent last year.
"The grand jury's decision is a firm step against the dangerous
trend of criminalizing reproductive outcomes," Dr. Marcela
Azevedo, president of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights,
said in a statement. "This practice must be unequivocally
halted. It not only undermines women's rights but it also
threatens public health by instilling fear and hesitation in
women seeking necessary medical care."
The office of Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins did not
respond to requests for comment.
Watts was 21 weeks pregnant when her water broke last September,
and twice left the hospital against the advice of her doctors,
according to media reports citing a coroner's report.
Two days later she delivered the fetus over a toilet, where the
remains were found stuck inside, the reports said.
Forensic pathologist Dr. George Sterbenz testified the fetus had
died before passing through the birth canal and there was no
injury to it, WKBN television reported.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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