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Midwife screw-up causes death and prosecution |
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Written by Reyne
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Apr 03, 2006 at 08:02 PM |
A recent mishap in a home delivery has brought attention to the practice of midwifery.
Prosecution of Midwife Casts Light on Home Births
A recent mishap in a home delivery has brought attention to the practice of midwifery. Ms. Williams, an unlicensed midwife in Indiana, monitored the fetal heart rate during labor and did an episiotomy after detecting fetal distress. She then performed CPR on the baby when he emerged, but was unable to save him. Ms. Williams now faces prosecution for being unlicensed, not for the death of the baby. In Indiana, all midwives must be licensed nurses or doctors. Although Ms. William holds a certificate from a private organization, the North American Registry of Midwives, she cannot legally deliver babies in Indiana.
A total of 10 states have laws that require all midwives to be nurses or doctors. Many would like to see that number decrease, while many others would like to see more states enact similar laws. Supporters of lay midwives, midwives who are not licensed medical professionals, believe that delivery is a private time for a woman. A woman has the right to choose where and how she would like to have her baby. They believe that the medical profession is ruled by men, who treat pregnancies in a sterile manner, as if the pregnancy is a potential illness that needs treatment.
One midwife stated, "[midwifery] is an art and a science that predates the medical model of care. Midwifery sees birth as normal and basically safe." That may be correct, but this is the 21st century. The advantage of having a "medical model of care" is security in knowing that at least your doctors and nurses have been trained by some standard and have at least passed examinations well enough to be licensed. It would be absurd to trust unlicensed lay midwives on something as important as the delivery of your baby. There is a reason that deliveries have gotten safer throughout the last century. That reason has nothing to do with the quaint practices of midwives.
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