West Virginia Prosecutors Clarify Women Shouldn't Be Charged Over Miscarriages

Such prosecution was never "widely discussed," the group said.

A West Virginia prosecutors association said it needs to make it “abundantly clear” that it does not intend to recommend its members prosecute women in the state for how they handle their miscarriages.

In a statement Monday, the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Association said the group needed to set the record straight on those concerns, which began circulating in recent weeks after one of the state’s county prosecutors told media outlets he’d heard rumblings about such charges from his counterparts in other counties.

“The West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Association wishes to clarify that recent public statements made regarding this subject do not reflect the consensus, official position or legal interpretation of the association, its officers, board members or members of its Legislative Committee,” the statement said.

The organization’s president, Luke Furbee, in an interview Monday clarified that this was the view of the group’s leadership.

But county prosecutors in West Virginia are elected by voters and presumably could act on their own to decide charges.