The license to practice of midwife Sarah Winkler Scheps on Tuesday was suspended for six months after she was found to have been "severely negligent" for delivering a baby by vaginal birth at home to a mother who previously had a cesarean (VBAC). Retired judge Vardi Zeiler, who investigates alleged malpractice cases for the Health Ministry, said VBAC birth is very dangerous when not performed in a hospital. In albeit rare cases, the uterus can rip and kill the woman and even the baby, he said, and the midwife should not even have considered a home birth. In 2008, the ministry issued instructions that ruled out intentional VBAC delivery at home. Scheps's license is suspended starting September.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)