With St. Vincent's Closed, Midwives Looking for Place to Practice
Friday, April 30, 2010
New York, NY –
Today's closure of St. Vincent's Hospital leaves midwives without a place to practice. And many women who had plans for an "at-home" birth can no longer do so, thanks to a New York State law that says practicing midwives must have a collaborative agreement with a physician or a hospital. Piper Harrell was planning on having a home delivery in the next six weeks. She says she feels her rights are being violated.
"The point is, I legally had the right to birth at home and now you are making it illegal. I don't know what we're going to do. It is really tough," Harrell says.
St. Vincent's was the only hospital in the city that accommodated midwives who perform home deliveries.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and other state and local officials are negotiating with the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation to change the situation.
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