In March of this year, a lengthy New York profile asked: “Is Midwife Cara Muhlhahn Too Fearless in Her Home-Birth Advocacy?” We received a lot of feedback on the story, both positive and negative, including at least one couple who claimed that their decision to use Muhlhahn resulted in the worst tragedy they could have imagined. Now the celebrity midwife, who practices without legal authorization (she has no official relationship with a practicing physician), is being sued for coordinating a home birth that left a baby dead, and parents devastated. A lawsuit filed today in Manhattan’s Supreme Court alleges malpractice, unauthorized practice, deceptive business practices, and false advertising. Catherine and Ricardo McKenzie claim that Muhlhahn, who starred in the Ricki Lake–produced documentary The Business of Being Born, is to blame for their baby being stillborn.
Related: Read Andrew Goldman’s in-depth account of Cara Muhlhahn’s popular, but controversial, midwife business.
