HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania court has said a state board was wrong to fine and shut down the practice of a Lancaster County midwife who has delivered thousands of babies for the Amish.
It is unclear whether it’s illegal for Diane Goslin and other "lay midwives" to deliver babies, even with the May 23 decision by a panel of judges on the Commonwealth Court.
The court concluded Goslin didn’t receive due process in facing charges of practicing midwifery without a license. The State Board of Medicine brought charges against Goslin last year and eventually fined her $11,000 and ordered her to stop working as a midwife. Goslin appealed.
Goslin, 50, said she interprets the decision as clearing her to resume guiding women through childbirth.
The decision doesn’t address the question of whether what Goslin did is legal, said Gerald Smith, a senior lawyer for the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees the medical board.
Supporters argue that deliveries performed by lay midwives are more natural, safe and in keeping with their culture. The supporters, which include some non-Amish, abhor the use of drugs and medical technology that are present during hospital births, and they believe births should occur at home.
The case against Goslin followed the 2005 death of an Amish infant 21 hours after birth. The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office concluded the baby died of causes that weren’t Goslin’s fault.
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