Brittany Watts, Ohio woman charged with felony after miscarriage at home, describes shock of her arrest

Synopsis

Brittany Watts, a 34-year-old medical receptionist from Warren, Ohio, was arrested after having a miscarriage at home. 

She had tried to seek care days earlier at a local hospital, but Ohio’s 22-week abortion ban meant the staff stalled her treatment. As she described it, Brittany felt “ignored” and “frustrated,” and went home, where she miscarried alone. 

After her miscarriage, she returned to the hospital. A nurse alerted the police, and Brittany was charged with a felony. 

After a grand jury declined to indict her, Brittany made her first appearance in a CBS News interview, where she shared what it has been like for her to live in a state and a country where women are at risk of being prosecuted for having a miscarriage.