A Bakersfield woman faces several charges of operating as a midwife without a license.
Brenda Capps is charged with practicing medicine without consent, dispensing dangerous drugs without a license and making a false claim of payment for healthcare.
People from around the United States are showing their support of Capps through online groups and fundraisers. A Utah woman created a petition, with more than 2,000 signatures, asking the California Medical Board to drop the case.
Here in Bakersfield, only a few licensed midwives are in business.
Licensed midwife, LaMonica Bryant, said operating legally is necessary. "I think it's important to have a license so we have checks and balances. As healthcare professionals we need to have a standard of care and with that licensure it gives you that standard of care, what you're allowed to do, what your scope of practice is, whereas if you're practicing without a license, there are no checks and balances."
Capps' lawyer, David Faulkner, released a statement Tuesday saying, in part, Capps has been dedicated to helping expectant mothers give birth at home and she fully intends to fight the charges.
