Midwifery Under Fire

A Nevada-based lay midwife was arrested due to allegations that she waited too long to bring an unhealthy infant to the hospital after she assisted in a home delivery. Kellie Sparkman, 39, was charged with a single count of felony child abuse and neglect -- the potential punishment is between two and 20 years in prison.

Supporters of Sparkman said the charges were filed simply because medical doctors cannot accept the fact that women can give birth naturally in their own homes. State laws regulate the practice of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), who work under the direction of doctors. Lay midwives, however, learn their practice informally and are not regulated. But the practice of lay midwifery is not illegal. A midwife delivery outside of the hospital costs an average of $2,000 per normal delivery (inclusive) as opposed to a normal in-hospital birth averaging $6000 (inclusive).

Statistics show midwifery care reduces the number of  low birth weight and preterm babies. One premature baby can cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars.

State laws regulate the practice of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), who work under the direction of doctors. Lay midwives, however, learn their practice informally and are not regulated. But the practice of lay midwifery is not illegal.

On January 8, Sparkman delivered the baby -- Sarai Coreas-Cruz -- at the Las Vegas home of Ruth Coreas-Cruz and Tito Cruz. The baby survived after aspirating meconium and is now doing fine.

It was shortly after the birth that Sparkman noticed the child was having trouble breathing. She and the parents drove Sarai to the emergency room at Sunrise Hospital, where it was diagnosed that the baby had respiratory problems stemming from having inhaled meconium at birth, which happens in 15 to 25 percent of births.

Hospital physicians are required to report any suspected case of child abuse or neglect to police. Hospital physicians reported Sparkman to police on a charge of child endangerment. On March 26, Las Vegas police arrested Sparkman and kept her in jail until she was able to post $3,000 bail.

A legal defense fund has been set up and donations are being sought. Contact Margie Dacko at dacko@lvcm.com for more information about the case and the fund. While there is a possibility that charges will be dropped at this hearing, if the case goes to trial, costs are estimated at $10,000 or more.

Do you support midwifery? If so, you may want to check out Citizens for Midwifery at http://www.cfm.org. Midwives in Oregon, Nevada and Virginia are presently engaged in legal battles to provide midwifery care for homebirthing parents. Find out what you can do to support the art of midwifery in your state and to find more links on these legal battles.

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