Alice Gates is innocent

[FriedChicken]

Friday morning a friend of my me and my wife's was arrested for 'unlicensed medical treatment' or something along those lines.

Her name is Alice Gates. She is a lay midwife, has been delivering babies for about 30 years in this area (she has delivered babies from mothers she delivered when they were born). She is 64 years old.

Recently a child she delivered died a day or two after delivery (very sad, especially since I know the couple that lost their baby). This child's death has nothing to do with the charges against her - except for the fact that the event prompted the hospital to file a report, that lead to an investigation that lead to an arrest.

Alice delivered children at the parents home.
Home births are illegal in Indiana for anyone with previous medical experience or education or certification to participate in. There is no law against home births themselves, just the medical community's involvement.

The state is prosecuting her for midwifing without certification. The prosecutor said that she was deceiving people into thinking she was a "certified" midwife as apposed to a "lay" midwife ... in a group setting I was present in along with the people who recently (last December) lost their child it was made very clear what the laws of Indiana are and that she had no "formal" medical background or certification and if she did she would not be allowed to participate in a home birth in this state.

(I don't think the parents are lying to anyone, I think words are being put in their mouths by the media and prosecution. The family who lost the child haven't made any public statements)

The police department keeps releasing information about the couple who lost their child as if that has something to with the arrest even though nothing about that case has anything to do with the charges being pressed exclusively.

The media is acting as the police departments puppet.



Its a very unfortunate situation its very hard to accept is really happening. This is the same woman who assisted my wife deliver our son just two weeks ago and now the entire police department and local media is trying to completely ruin her reputation and life.

Sometimes this country is very hard to stomach.
If this happened two weeks ago I don't know who would have helped my wife ... and sure their are over a dozen expecting women in the area who now have to make sudden changes to their plans of giving birth.

I don't see how the prosecutor could NOT know that Alice is innocent of breaking any laws. I don't understand how people like that can justify working to put her in prison knowing full well she isn't guilty of anything.
Furthermore the prosecutor keeps saying "The issue is that wasn't certified but was acting as if she was" which is an outright lie. If she WAS certified she would have been put in prison 30 years ago for assisting home births.

I get outraged about a 100 things a day that doesn't involve me or anyone I know. Seeing one of these horror stories play out in someone's life that is so close to my family is like nothing I've ever experienced.

I don't know of a way to help and want to. I don't know who her lawyer is yet, hopefully at some point I will find out and see if there is something I can do to help.

Everywhere we go my wife has to correct people's misinformed understanding of what is actually going on. The media has COMPLETELY failed in reporting this.




.... just wanted to post this here where I thought people would understand and share my outrage. The comments sections under articles and news stories about this are extremely disheartening.

 

[Anti Federalist]

Well, Fried, I don't know what to say...every day I spend in a high state of piss off, so I don't know how much more outrage I can muster.

I don't want to sound flip or callous, but I've been drinking, and I'm disgusted at the whole stinking mess...so, just another day in AmeriKa is all I've got to say.

Hope Alice finds justice, but more likely she'll find Just-Us and be sent to rot and die in a rape cage somewhere for helping people outside The Matrix.

The media is acting as the police departments puppet.

Acting?

Outside, it's AmeriKa...

 

[FriedChicken]

Being that she has delivered probably hundreds of children in this community I hope that there will be a strong, concentrated effort by the people to shove this back down the media's throat and make the police department correct their misinformation and the prosecutor be recognized by all as the liar they are.

But I haven't heard anything yet. There is a information void facebook page created that has around 200 likes, that is about all I know.

I really hope someone very familiar with the law (a good lawyer) steps up and organizes something to re-inform people. I want the prosecutors to be publicly shamed and ruined as a result of this ... not that I'm expecting anything good to come of this.

Realistically she will enter a plea bargain and only get 3 months prison time. She is a very timid lady, I think she is crushed beyond repair and will never deliver another child again.
They really have ruined her life. I want them to burn.

 

[The Northbreather]

Why don't you give some interviews to the local press to get the truth out?

 

[Anti Federalist]

Realistically she will enter a plea bargain and only get 3 months prison time.

She is a very timid lady, I think she is crushed beyond repair and will never deliver another child again.

They really have ruined her life.

The state knows its business and performs it flawlessly.

 

[The Northbreather]

Can you call her family ans get some tabs on her supporters to organize them?

I think a few interviews from healthy people that she delivered would go a long way in applying the needed pressure.

 

[James Madison]

Saw this in my local paper. No winners in this case.

 

[The Northbreather]

Get people all in one place to demonstrate. get that covered by media and social media.

Get a hold of her people, it will probably be easier than you think these days, they will have a strong bond with her if they were delivered by her or their children were.

Go.

 

[FriedChicken]

Why don't you give some interviews to the local press to get the truth out?

I'm 100% in favor of doing this. I think the press would rather interview a mother rather than a father but I still could probably get on a few morning shows locally.
I also think their should be a huge social network "blogging" thing, letters to the editor, etc.

However I'd feel much more comfortable if I spoke to a lawyer first. With all the laws out there I'm not confident that I know of every single one that applies to the situation and I don't want to say something that would be incriminating. I just want to know if there are things that shouldn't be said that might actually be used against her (in court).

Don't know if I'm being smart or paranoid - I just don't want to accidentally make things worse.

 

[FriedChicken]

Can you call her family ans get some tabs on her supporters to organize them?

I think a few interviews from healthy people that she delivered would go a long way in applying the needed pressure.

I'm close to this woman, my wife is closer, but we're 1 of many. Her family mostly consists of her and her husband. I believe both of her own children live out of town and I haven't met either of them.
If I had to guess at what is going on in their house - the phone is ringing off the hook from well meaning people and not so well meaning people. I don't think she is fight mode at all - I'm assuming her to be deeply depressed by everything going on.

She has a niece who works at a local food co-op that we sell some of our vegetables from our farm to - she is probably overwhelmed by people inquiring as well but I will ask my sister to get in touch with her and see if there is anyway to get in touch with her lawyer, if she has one, to learn if there is something we absolutely SHOULDN'T do and then get a contact list and let everyone know what they SHOULD do.

There is a definite lack of organizing all the people that support her. If I'm not able to get in touch with her/her lawyers I'll have to seek out my own legal council and go rogue and start organizing people.

 

[FriedChicken]

Get people all in one place to demonstrate. get that covered by media and social media.

Get a hold of her people, it will probably be easier than you think these days, they will have a strong bond with her if they were delivered by her or their children were.

Go.

Will do once I learn what our talking points need to be. There is so much I don't know right now ... I don't even know if the parents of the deceased are working with or against the prosecutor, trial dates, etc. I don't even know what law reference they claim she has broken. Everyone is consumed by the "was the death her fault or not?" discussion when the charges have nothing to do with being at fault for the infants death.

I'm new to all this. Studying the court process was on my to do list but I've focused more on economics and the general idea of 'Liberty' before learning the nuts and bolts of our legal system.
Is there a website or a place to call that would have this kind of info available to the public?

Police reports, court dates, etc?

(yes, I'm fully aware how ignorant I sound right now. I've never gotten involved in something like this before, certainly never started something like this before. Most of my political activism is tied to national politics/Ron Paul and some local politics ... mostly elections)

 

[FriedChicken]

Thanks all for the encouragement. I'm glad I posted here.

 

[thoughtomator]

WTF barring anyone with a medical certification from participating in a home birth?

 

[The Northbreather]

You are right about speaking to a lawyer first.

The attorney will most likely say not to speak out mostly because they wont be able to control what is said.

A large group of people standing vigil in silent support is also good.

Seems like getting the supporters together to discuss a plan is paramount attorney or not.

People need to apply public pressure somehow

 

[FriedChicken]

WTF barring anyone with a medical certification from participating in a home birth?

To my knowledge ... yep. I'm seeing to it that this law is changed soon.

 

[FriedChicken]

You are right about speaking to a lawyer first.

The attorney will most likely say not to speak out mostly because they wont be able to control what is said.

A large group of people standing vigil in silent support is also good.

Seems like getting the supporters together to discuss a plan is paramount attorney or not.

People need to apply public pressure somehow

Really appreciate your thoughts/support. A silent protest is what I've always thought is best and I think will be very easy to plan. I've been sending out messages to different people associated with Alice today on facebook and I think I'm getting somewhere. There is a lawyer we think my by sympathetic to the cause - a lady is going to contact him and his email address should be sent to me shortly.

I cut grass today ... a lot of grass ... so my brain has been going non-stop on this. I'm feeling, at the moment, encouraged. I really hope to get cooperation from a lawyer soon but even if not I think my wife and I will create a website for people to 'support' Alice through (most importantly register, giving us their contact info) and go on the news local circuit promoting the idea, webpage and while were at it setting the story straight.

Hopefully we'll be releases a few press releases of our own about women sending Alice flowers, cards and letters of support and bringing them groceries and such (I don't think Alice wants to be seen in public right now).

later on I think the ole money bomb for legal fees will be brought out. If more money than needed is raised I have some ideas on where to spend it.

 

[FriedChicken]

Also - I heard from a woman who knows the couple who lost their baby better than I do ... she says she can say beyond the shadow of a doubt the couple who lost their daughter are NOT helping the prosecutors.

I don't know if they'll help the defendant or not. I don't want to ask anything of them considering what they must be going through right now, but I'm incredibly impressed with them for not helping the prosecutors who have surely been pressing them for any juicy gossip they can. They are very great people going through hell right now ... I pray to God I never know what it's like to be their shoes.

 

[kcchiefs6465]

Best of luck. Are you still in contact with some of the women whose babies she delivered? Letters written by these women wouldn't hurt. With their permission maybe you could forward them to some editorials or blog columnists? (SPEAK WITH HER LAWYER FIRST TO SEE IF THAT'S OKAY, Sorry for the caps)

How much time is she facing?

I couldn't even imagine what you guys are going through. Tell her to stay strong and keep her head up. Things always look darkest before the sunrise.

 

[The Free Hornet]

Best of luck. Are you still in contact with some of the women whose babies she delivered? Letters written by these women wouldn't hurt. With their permission maybe you could forward them to some editorials or blog columnists? (SPEAK WITH HER LAWYER FIRST TO SEE IF THAT'S OKAY, Sorry for the caps)

How much time is she facing?

I couldn't even imagine what you guys are going through. Tell her to stay strong and keep her head up. Things always look darkest before the sunrise.

Great points. The DA likely wants another notch on his bedpost and the midwife likely wants to live her life in peace. As such, it would be something if a back-door resolution were sidetracked as a result of publicity/protest. Not that there shouldn't be, but if the midwife isn't a liberty-movement person, it could be awkward in the spotlight.

 

[angelatc]

Police said Gates told parents that the baby's breathing problems weren't severe, but the following day she stopped breathing and died.

An autopsy revealed Mara’s death was caused by respiratory arrest due to acute lobar pneumonia.

So, the baby might be alive if a real MD had seen her? Parental choice, but that's the difference between midwifery and real medicine.