‘I’m not a monster,’ says midwife charged with death of Moab newborn.
Really? What should we call we call her?
- 1983 Charged with practicing medicine without a license in California; pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
- 1993 Presided over the death of a baby at a twin VBA2C in Michigan
- 1993 Claims “They’ll have to cut off my hands to stop me [from delivering babies].”
- 2012 Presided over a neonatal death at homebirth of a VBA3C mother in Utah, administered Cytotec to induce or augment labor, delivered the baby using a vacuum extractor; massive postpartum hemorrhage.
El Halta has been charged:
Valerie ElHalta, 71, was charged in Grand County’s 7th District Court with unlawful conduct, a third-degree felony; and negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, both class A misdemeanors.
Her response:
When contacted at her home Wednesday by KSL News, ElHalta said she was unaware of the charges.
“I’m totally in shock,” she said. “I didn’t hurt the baby. I just delivered it.”…
“I’m not a monster. I’m just a grandmother,” she said Wednesday outside her Eagle Mountain home.
Cue the rally:
Tara Workman Tulley: Midwives and supporters. Regardless of the reasons for Valerie’s arrest, realize this is the second investigation of an unlicensed midwife this year, and the impact could effect every midwife and out-of-hospital birth. Two investigations is likely not an accident. We need a legislative watch group, and a united front of midwives. I will be setting up a GoTo meeting link for this meeting, and recording it. We will have an input period and figure out how to get ourselves united. We stand united and fall divided.
I only have one question. Who is more hideous? El Halta or the homebirth advocates who support her?
