Current:Home > NewsLawsuit challenges Alabama’s ‘de facto ban’ on freestanding birth centers-LoTradeCoin
Lawsuit challenges Alabama’s ‘de facto ban’ on freestanding birth centers
View Date:2024-12-23 21:24:51
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A group of midwives and doctors on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging what they described as Alabama’s de facto ban on freestanding birth centers by requiring the facilities be licensed as hospitals.
The lawsuit — filed by one birth center that closed and two others that paused plans to open — asks a judge to block the Alabama Department of Public Health from requiring the facilities be licensed as hospitals. The suit argues the facilities, where low-risk patients can receive prenatal care and give birth, do not constitute hospitals under Alabama law and that the state health department has no authority to regulate them as such.
“The department is imposing this illegal ban on birth centers in the middle of a maternal and infant health crisis in Alabama that is disproportionately harming Black mothers and babies,” Whitney White, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union Reproductive Freedom Project, said during a Tuesday press conference.
The freestanding birth centers, which provide an option between home and hospital births, would fill a crucial need, the providers argued. Many women in rural areas live far away from a hospital, or they may prefer to give birth outside of the hospital for financial or personal reasons, they said.
The Health Department did not have an immediate comment on the lawsuit.
“The Alabama Department of Public Health has just recently learned of the filing of this lawsuit and has not had opportunity to review it fully. ADPH does not otherwise comment on active litigation,” a department spokeswoman wrote in an emailed response.
While lay midwifes attended births for centuries, Alabama has only made midwifery legal in recent years. Alabama lawmakers voted in 2017 to legalize midwifery, and the state began issuing licenses in 2019.
Stephanie Mitchell, a certified professional midwife who is building a freestanding birth center in Sumter County, said she serves a region where people may drive a roundtrip of 75 or more miles (120 kilometers) to receive prenatal care.
“Having to drive that far can be a serious obstacle and may prevent some people from getting care during their pregnancy at all,” said Mitchell, a plaintiff in the case.
veryGood! (5233)
Related
- These Yellowstone Gift Guide Picks Will Make You Feel Like You’re on the Dutton Ranch
- 'Pure evil': Pennsylvania nurse connected to 17 patient deaths sentenced to hundreds of years
- Charles Barkley says he can become a 'free agent' if TNT loses NBA TV rights
- Uncomfortable Conversations About Money: Read past stories here
- 'Yellowstone's powerful opening: What happened to Kevin Costner's John Dutton?
- IRS says its number of audits is about to surge. Here's who the agency is targeting.
- South Carolina Senate approves ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors
- 'Hacks' stars talk about what's to come in Season 3, Deborah and Ava's reunion
- Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
- Gangs in Haiti launch fresh attacks, days after a new prime minister is announced
Ranking
- Olivia Munn Says She “Barely Knew” John Mulaney When She Got Pregnant With Their Son
- Teen pizza delivery driver shot at 7 times after parking in wrong driveway, police say
- Biden campaign continues focus on abortion with new ad buy, Kamala Harris campaign stop in Philadelphia
- Maui sues cell carriers over wildfire warning alerts that were never received during service outages
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 12? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- Pregnancy-related deaths fall to pre-pandemic levels, new CDC data shows
- Lewiston bowling alley reopens 6 months after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting
- Cops in nation's capital draw ire, support for staying away from campus protest
Recommendation
-
Watch a rescuer’s cat-like reflexes pluck a kitten from mid-air after a scary fall
-
Cops in nation's capital draw ire, support for staying away from campus protest
-
A committee finds a decayed and broken utility pole caused the largest wildfire in Texas history
-
Biden calls longtime ally Japan xenophobic, along with China and Russia
-
Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
-
Drew Barrymore left a list of her past lovers at this 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' actor's home
-
Big Nude Boat offers a trip to bare-adise on a naked cruise from Florida
-
Peloton laying off around 15% of workforce; CEO Barry McCarthy stepping down