What happens to midwives who are in crisis?
The midwife who lost her job in March will not have her medical license renewed.
But midwives will be able to practice in Pennsylvania under new rules adopted this week.
Midwives are now allowed to practice at home, without supervision.
“We are able to continue practicing in our homes and practice without being supervised,” said Lauren Dolan, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The new rules, which went into effect Tuesday, will not apply to any clinics that are certified by the Pennsylvania Board of Midwives.
The regulations also prevent midwives from taking appointments to perform abortions.
Midwives are required to inform women that they can choose to end a pregnancy and that the state will not interfere with their decision.
They must also make clear that they are not practicing medicine and that they have no medical license.
But some midwives, including the founder of the midwifed organization Women’s Voice for Midwives, say the new rules are unfair.
Midwives are now required to explain why they are being forced to leave their homes, Dolan said.
It’s unclear whether midwives have to leave because of an imminent threat to their safety or because they are afraid of being prosecuted by the state for performing abortions.
But a survey conducted last year by the midwives union found that nearly half of the state’s midwives felt pressured to leave.