LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A judge in Little Rock has rejected a request for a temporary order that would stop the state from enforcing a rule that prevents midwives from assisting in certain home births.
Arkansas is one of a handful of states that prohibit midwives from participating in home births involving women who have previously had cesarean sections. The Department of Health says women who have previously had C-sections could face more complications if they attempt to give birth vaginally and argued that it’s risky for such a birth to occur outside of a hospital.
But a group of women is challenging that restriction, arguing that the rules limit their options on how and where to give birth.
