KBIA Local
(2007-08-09)
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JEFFERSON CITY, MO
(KBIA) -
A provision of a new law that legalized midwifery in Missouri has been struck down by a Cole County judge.
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Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce ruled that the midwives language inserted into a health insurance bill went beyond the bill's original purpose and title.
Jeff Howell with the Missouri State Medical Association agrees with the decision:
"Where the state regulates people that cut your hair and do your nails, they wouldn't regulate people that would deliver babies...instead, you could theoretically, under the language of this bill, have your baby delivered by someone who hasn't graduated high school."
The Missouri Midwives Association, however, says the practice is both safe and cost-effective. They're appealing Judge Joyce's ruling to the State Supreme Court. © Copyright 2012, KBIA
