White man is ‘duty bound’ to prosecute a Black woman who got pregnant
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This post covers reproductive rights. Before you stick your off-topic comment in here, ask yourself “Why am I such an asshole?” and go do something else for 12 hours. If you aren’t sure whether your comment is off-topic, make it 24 hours.
Pity poor Dennis Watkins. The Trumbull, Ohio prosecutor doesn’t want to prosecute Brittany Watts, a Black woman who lives in Warren, Ohio. But he’s duty bound to do it.
Watts made a second trip to the emergency department at the ironically named Mercy Health-St. Joseph’s Hospital after her non-viable and life-threatening pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. As an aside, that second trip could be the result of an EMTALA violation.
The doctor said that, while a fetal heartbeat was still present, Watts’ water had broken prematurely and the fetus she was carrying would not survive. He advised heading to the hospital to have her labor induced, so she could have what amounted to an abortion to deliver the nonviable fetus. Otherwise, she would face “significant risk” of death, according to records of her case.
But rather than treat Watts, Mercy let her sit in the ED for eight hours.
At the time of Watts’ miscarriage, abortion was legal in Ohio through 21 weeks, six days of pregnancy. Her lawyer, Traci Timko, said Watts left the hospital on the Wednesday when, coincidentally, her pregnancy arrived at that date — after sitting for eight hours awaiting care.
It turned out the delay was because hospital officials were deliberating over the legalities, Timko said. “It was the fear of, is this going to constitute an abortion and are we able to do that,” she said.
I suppose from Mercy’s point of view, Watts should have miscarried in the ED. Or dropped dead. However, after neglecting Watts for so long that she went home and miscarried, she went back to the ED.
And then a nurse called the cops on her. Because extremely common medical events like spontaneous abortion and miscarriage are evidence of a crime when the patient isn’t white.
Now the county has charged Watts with abuse of a corpse, which is a felony. Watkins claims county prosecutors are “duty bound by Ohio law” to criminalize pregnancy. Sometimes. And anyway he’s doing it to be nice.
“Our responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the accused is accorded justice and his or her presumption of innocence and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence.”
Watkins could have told Warren’s prosecutors Fuck off and leave this woman alone, you sick ghouls. But his interpretation of the law and concept of justice demand that he subject her to months of mental anguish, time spent working with a defense team when she should be recovering, and mounds of legal bills.
Watkins has been the county prosecutor since 1984, which proves voters in the county will elect a Democrat. Hopefully a Democrat who doesn’t use the law to beat on marginalized people will help him retire at the next election.
