St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan closing puts midwives in jeopardy

Seven of New York City's 13 home-birth midwives had an agreement with St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan that its doctors would back them up in an emergency. But the bankrupt hospital closed on April 30, and those midwives have been unable to negotiate new practice agreements with other hospitals or obstetricians, as required by state law, leaving them in the position of risking their licenses if they choose to deliver babies. Officials at several hospitals said that while they were friendly to midwives, they were skeptical of the safety of home births and were concerned about the malpractice implications of taking over their clients in emergencies.