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A mother – who has requested that her identity remain anonymous – from Cedar City, Utah, is taking her hired midwife, 57-year-old Vickie Sorensen, to court over a case of manslaughter.
The mother had hired the lay midwife from southern Utah because Sorensen had promised both her and her husband that she had delivered thousands of healthy babies before in the past. When this mother told Sorensen that she was pregnant with twins, Sorensen continued to reassure the mother that she’d also delivered twins safely before over the years.
When the mother finally went into labor though, she claimed that Sorensen didn’t initially believe her. It took the midwife quite some time to respond in kind, and by the time she made to move the mother to the hospital, snowy roads made it impossible to reach the hospital on time.
The mother’s twins were not born successfully. One of the babies was born purple because they were unable to breathe.
Sorensen tried to help the baby breathe with “outdated techniques” and “too-large equipment” rather than take the child to the hospital as soon as possible.
The two twins were already born premature. The twin who had been born unable to breathe didn’t survive.
The mother has taken Sorensen to court for manslaughter and intends on having the woman’s rights to practice as a midwife revoked.
Although the details for this case – a mother requesting to give birth at home with the assistance of a midwife rather than in a hospital – might seem unusual, there is actually a growing trend of mothers who are taking up this practice.
Between 2004 and 2009, out-of-hospital birth rates grew by 29% across the nation, and in Utah specifically, that rate doubled between 1990 and 2012. Parents oftentimes prefer the comfort of their own homes as opposed to the clean, clinical setting of a hospital.
However, giving birth at home also limits women from the potential medical assistance they might need with more complicated births – like twins or breech babies. In case anything goes wrong, being in the hospital guarantees that the mother’s safety will be best protected.
This Cedar City mother’s trial against Vickie Sorensen, however, is unusual because she actually takes her midwife to trial. Most cases against midwives end with a plea bargain, where the defendant agrees to plea guilt of the charge.
Sorensen, in contrast, is being sent to jail on account of manslaughter.
“The reason manslaughter charges become the route to pursue is you don’t have licensure,” said the president of the American College of Nurse Midwives, Lisa Kane Low.
This charge then brings up a constantly overlooked question of regulating which midwives can practice. There are many different types of midwives, some who are certified nurses, and others who have simply learned to practice from years and years of experience.
When these standards aren’t regulated, mothers have a difficult time determining which midwife and their respective experience is best for them and their birth.
No moves have been made in further regulating the professional practice of being a midwife, but debates are now being raised about how to better inform mothers-to-be.
