Two longtime midwives are suing Iowa over a state law they say unconstitutionally discriminates against their profession, preventing them from opening a freestanding birth center that would compete against local hospitals.
The midwives claim that the state’s certificate of need (CON) process is unconstitutional and gives established businesses, particularly hospitals, a so-called competitor’s veto preventing them from opening a proper care facility. At present they use their clients’ own homes or other locations pre-arranged by clients, including hotel rooms, short-term rentals, or friends’ houses for childbirths.
Critics point out that midwives are ill-suited to handle high-risk pregnancies or serious complications that may take place during childbirth. If things go wrong, the patient will have to seek emergency care from a health care provider with whom she may not be familiar….