Ohio Woman Charged with Felony for Miscarriage, Fetus Flushed Down Toilet

Unique Points

• Brittany Watts miscarried at home and waited for medical care
• Watts attempted to flush the fetus of her unborn child down the toilet in her home
• The hospital report states that Watts understood her risk of complications including hemorrhage, sepsis or death.
• <br>Warren police were sent to the hospital after a nurse called 911, saying they had a mother who gave birth and came to the hospital without the baby.<br>
• During her second visit, she waited up to eleven hours for proper medical care despite the danger she could potentially be in not giving her immediate medical care for the nonviable pregnancy
• <br>The fetus was found stuck in a pipe in Brittany's toilet. Police removed it as evidence.<br>
• Watts waited up to eight hours for medical care at Mercy Health St. Joseph Warren Hospital after experiencing severe abdominal cramping and bleeding
• <br>The harrowing ordeal has been life-changing for Watts, who now describes herself as motivated to change the laws and educate people on what to do for nonviable pregnancies

Accuracy

• Brittany Watts was charged with abusing a corpse after having a miscarriage in her bathroom toilet last year.
• On September 22, 2023, Brittany woke up at home with symptoms of miscarriage. Her fetus had been declared nonviable by doctors several days prior.
• Brittany spent a total of 19 hours in the hospital over two days, begging to be induced but ultimately leaving against medical advice due to delays caused by concerns about Ohio's abortion laws and how they applied to her case.

Deception (50%)

• The title of the article implies that Brittany Watts was charged for having a miscarriage when she was actually arrested for abusing a corpse.

Fallacies (85%)

• The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the hospital nurse who consoled Watts when she sought medical help called the police. This is not a valid reason for charging Watts with abusing a corpse as there are no regulations explaining what women like herself should do in such situations.
• The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that 'everything's going to be OK' which could be interpreted as minimizing the severity of Watts miscarriage and her situation.

Bias (85%)

• The article contains a statement from the author that implies bias towards the Black woman who was charged after having a miscarriage in her bathroom. The author states that Watts does not want any other woman to go through what she had to go through, which suggests an emotional connection and sympathy for her situation.

Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

• Brittany Watts is a 34-year-old woman who lives in Warren, Ohio. She has lived there her entire life and works as a medical receptionist.
• On September 22, 2023, Brittany woke up at home with symptoms of miscarriage. Her fetus had been declared nonviable by doctors several days prior.
• Brittany spent a total of 19 hours in the hospital over two days, begging to be induced but ultimately leaving against medical advice due to delays caused by concerns about Ohio's abortion laws and how they applied to her case.
• After returning home from the hospital, Brittany miscarried alone in her own bathroom. When she sought medical care following the miscarriage, a nurse rubbed her back and told her everything would be okay before calling the police at the direction of risk management team to search for fetus.
• The Warren City Police Department searched Brittany's home and eventually found the fetus lodged in toilet traps. She was charged with abuse of corpse, but charges were ultimately dismissed after an Ohio grand jury declined to indict her.

Accuracy

• Brittany Watts was charged with a felony after her miscarriage.
• The hospital report states that Brittany understood her risk of complications including hemorrhage, sepsis or death.

Deception (30%)

• The author implies that Brittany Watts left hospital against medical advice which was not true according to her own statement.
• The author misrepresents the fact that Brittany Watts was charged with a felony for abuse of corpse when she was actually charged with a misdemeanor and ultimately had the charges dismissed.
• The article uses sensationalist language such as 'graphic content' to try and manipulate readers into thinking this is an extreme case when it is not.

Fallacies (85%)

• The ethics group at Mercy Health - St. Joseph Warren Hospital had concerns about Ohio's abortion laws and how they applied to Watts' case
• Watts was frustrated with the lengthy wait times, said she left the hospital both days against medical advice.

Bias (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

• Jericka Duncan reports on an Ohio woman who was charged with a felony after experiencing a miscarriage at home.

Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Unique Points

• Brittany Watts was 22-weeks pregnant when she started cramping and bleeding. She went to a local hospital twice the week of Sept.17, and was told the baby she was carrying was not viable.
• On Sept. 22, Brittany miscarried in her bathroom
• Warren police were sent to the hospital after a nurse called 911, saying they had a mother who gave birth and came to the hospital without the baby.
• The fetus was found stuck in a pipe in Brittany's toilet. Police removed it as evidence.
• Brittany was charged with abuse of corpse for flushing the toilet.

Accuracy

• Brittany Watts was charged with abuse of corpse for flushing the toilet.

Deception (50%)

• The author quotes Watts as saying 'I never thought they would call the police' but later states that Warren police were sent to the hospital after a nurse called 911 stating that Watts had given birth without the baby and came with remains in a bucket in her backyard. This contradicts what Watts said earlier, making it deceptive.
• While quoting Brittany saying 'I never saw the baby' during questioning by police and detective, later on she is quoted as stating that she only saw tissue and blood which does not align with her previous statement of not seeing the baby.
• The author claims that Brittany Watts took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair before speaking when she was actually sitting next to her attorney.

Fallacies (85%)

• an abuse of a corpse for flushing the toilet
• a mother who gave birth and came to the hospital without the baby
• the fetus was found stuck in a pipe in the toilet

Bias (85%)

• The article portrays Warren police in a negative light by suggesting that they handcuffed Brittany without probable cause and questioned her repeatedly despite her insistence that she did not see the baby
• The author uses emotional language such as 'local woman' and 'a mother' to appeal to the reader's sympathy for Brittany Watts
• The author uses language such as 'abuse of corpse' to make it seem like Brittany committed a serious crime, even though the fetus was found dead in the womb

Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

Unique Points

• Brittany Watts miscarried at home at 21 weeks after doctors told her that her pregnancy was not viable
• Watts attempted to flush the fetus of her unborn child down the toilet in her home in Warren, Ohio
• A grand jury declined to return an indictment against Watts for abuse of a corpse

Accuracy

No Contradictions at Time Of Publication

Deception (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Fallacies (85%)

• The grand jury declined to indict Brittany Watts without providing any evidence or context for this decision.

Bias (85%)

• The author refers to Brittany Watts as an 'abortionist' despite not having any information about whether or not she was seeking an abortion.

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

Author Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

• The article discusses a woman named Brittany Watts who miscarried at home after visiting several medical facilities in Ohio and ultimately appearing before a grand jury. This could be seen as an attempt to discredit the hospital or its employees, which may have been influenced by the author's affiliation with Trumbull County prosecutor's office.
• The article mentions concerns raised by hospital staffers about ethics committee decision-making processes, which could be seen as an attempt to discredit the hospital or its employees. This is a conflict of interest for Ruth Bashinsky who is not disclosed in the article.

Unique Points

• . The woman was charged with a felony after her miscarriage.
• She had been 21 weeks pregnant when doctors told her that the pregnancy was not viable.
• Watts experienced frustrating delays at a hospital before having the miscarriage at home.

Accuracy

No Contradictions at Time Of Publication

Deception (50%)

• The article states that 'Watts was then charged with a felony'. This statement implies that Watts did something wrong, however it is not clear what she did wrong. The author does not provide any context or explanation for this charge.
• The article states that Watts had a choice: 'After experiencing frustrating delays at a hospital, Watts eventually had a miscarriage at home.' However, this is not true as she didn't have any other option but to wait for doctors to perform an emergency C-section which would be dangerous and potentially fatal due to the delay in treatment.

Fallacies (85%)

• Doctors told her that her pregnancy was not viable.

Bias (100%)

None Found At Time Of Publication

Site Conflicts Of Interest (50%)

Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)