WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) -- An Ohio grand jury Thursday declined to indict a woman charged with abuse of a corpse after she said she had a miscarriage.
The Trumbull County grand jury issued a no bill in the case of Brittany Watts, 34, who was facing a fifth-degree felony abuse of a corpse charge following a miscarriage she had in September.
The case sparked outrage from abortion rights and women's rights groups.
Investigators said they found a baby stuck in a toilet at her home on Sept. 22, which is when Watts was charged. Police said she was trying to plunge the toilet.
Forensic Pathologist Dr. George Sterbenz testified during a grand jury investigation that Watts had sought medical treatment twice before the miscarriage. An autopsy found no injury to the fetus and showed it died before passing through the birth canal.
According to the Associated Press, her lawyer, Traci Timko, said in December that her client was sitting in a Catholic hospital for eight hours awaiting treatment while officials there tried to decide how to treat the symptoms of her pregnancy under Ohio's abortion laws.
The Associated Press also said Watts had begun passing blood clots. Her 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 a “significant risk” of death, according to records of her case.
Timko said today she is "grateful" the grand jury issued a no bill in the case and she thanked supporters of her client on the national and local level.
"I'm incredibly relieved," Timko said. "We're grateful the grand jury did the right thing here. Brittany can now go on with her life and begin to heal."
A "Rally in Support of Brittney Watts" had been planned this afternoon in Warren.
Organizers say they will still have the rally, though the tone will be changed. Pastor Todd Johnson said they will celebrate the ruling and rally for women's rights.
The rally is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on the Courthouse Square in Warren.
The Associated Press and Kristen Hephner contributed to this report.