KWMU is reporting that a judge this morning temporarily barred a law that would let lay midwives deliver babies in Missouri.
Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce has issued a temporary restraining order against the midwives law. She scheduled an Aug. 2 hearing to consider a preliminary injunction. The bill is scheduled to take effect on Aug. 28.
The midwives provision was secretly attached by state Sen. John Loudon (R-Chesterfield) to legislation intended to make health insurance more affordable and accessible to some Missourians.
Several doctors groups sued. They claim the midwife language violates the Missouri Constitution by going beyond the bill’s health insurance title and by changing the bill’s original purpose.
Midwifery is currently punishable by prison time in Missouri.
Here is an interview we did with Sen. Loudon shortly after the controversy broke:
