A midwife is facing life in prison and being charged with an astounding 95 felonies for delivering babies against government regulations in the state of New York.
The case has serious ramifications for religious freedom as well, since midwife Elizabeth Catlin is a Mennonite and provides birthing services for people who share her religious beliefs.
“These women need resources, they need help,” Melissa Carman said to Yahoo News. Carman is the President of NY CPM, a non-profit that works to change New York laws to more readily allow the certification of midwives in the state.
Carman believes that Caitlin’s case is an indicator that “the heart of midwifery — the compassionate care that was given, the relationships built and the trust in a provider — is gone.”
Caitlin is even being charged with criminally negligent homicide, an allegation that she finds to be “the most devastating.”
“What they’re trying to do, I guess, is make some kind of crazy example of this person — for what, I’m not exactly sure,” said Vicki Hedley, president of the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA).
“The fact that she is being indicted for negligent homicide is way over the top, since the baby died six hours after being in her care,” she added.
“Criminalizing women for helping other women have babies tells us all that women still are not free to make our own health care decisions — even about something so extremely personal,” said Cristen Pascucci, founder of the organization Birth Monopoly.
Nevertheless, the prosecutors defend their behavior and claim they even went easy on the charges made against Caitlin.
“There could’ve been over a thousand,” said Yates County District Attorney Todd Casella, noting that the District Attorney’s Office has colluded with the New York State Police and New York Education Department to railroad this woman.
Because of the case, Catlin has already been forced to shutter her practice and sell her house. Even though she has only just been charged, the state oppression has already destroyed her life. She is relying on a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover her mounting legal bills.
“I’ve been blessed with piles of cards and letters with donations,” Caitlin said, noting that she has raised $10,000 through crowd-sourced funding. However, that is just a fraction of what she will need to continue her fight against the state. The page notes that “she is in immediate need of $75,000 to keep her case moving. The total amount needed is expected to be about $100,000.”
“It has been a hard and very upsetting year,” said Brenda Zimmerman, a Mennonite woman who used Caitlin’s birthing services for her two children. “Some have accepted the change, some are like me, saying, ‘This is not fair.’ Liz didn’t call me to ask her if she could deliver my babies, I called her. We feel just as at fault.”
“The prosecution of Liz’s case is just an outrageous overreach — 95 charges. I don’t think Jack the Ripper faced that many charges. It’s really insane,” Mennonite elder Ivan Martin said. “The question goes back to, who’s behind all this? It’s being driven with such a vengeance … [I challenge you to] find any Mennonite lady who says she was a victim.”
As the Empire State makes it easier for a woman to terminate their pregnancy in the womb, they punish individuals who bring life into the world with Draconian charges. The nanny state is completely out of control in liberal-dominated New York.
