North Carolina is one of eight states where it's illegal for a midwife to handle a delivery. (To be clear, the state is ok with certified nursing midwives, who have to attend nursing school, just not certified practicing midwives, who can deliver babies in 27 other states.) Practicing midwives still work, though. One less, after Amy Medwin was arrested this week.
I've written before about how restrictions on home birth aren't motivated by public health concerns but rather because they're a threat to insurance companies and the doctor lobby. And, though I know that a lot of people don't agree with me on this - this is part of the reason I'm pro-choice. I trust women, and I trust families, to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Some of those women will choose hospital births with or without epidural painkillers. Some of those women will choose C-section deliveries. Some of those women will choose to give birth at home. And it isn't my place or anybody else's to judge those choices. It's none of our business.
Medwin provided care to a couple who had a stillborn baby a few weeks ago, but since that family doesn't hold her responsible I have a hard time believing that they pushed for her arrest. So what's the deal?
Says Capt. John Stifford of the Rowan County Sheriff's Office: "Whether you be a midwife, a doctor or law enforcement officer in North Carolina, you're required to be certified in this state and she was not and that's why she's been charged at this point."
So, even the law enforcement agency that issued the warrant for Medwin's arrest admits that there's nothing inherently dangerous about what Medwin does. It's just a matter of state regulation.
So - time to get with the times, N.C. Change that stupid rule and give families more options - safe options - for their own care. Because the fact is that women are going to continue to use practicing midwives, despite what the state says. Might as well bring them out of the closet and make sure they're operating safely.
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