Nearly 300 people, many of them Amish and Mennonite, traveled here today to show their support for a Strasburg lay midwife who is under state scrutiny.

Diane Goslin, who faces $40,000 in fines for allegedly practicing medicine and midwifery without a state license, appeared before a hearing examiner for the state Board of Medicine.

The hearing, which was held so that both Goslin and the state could review and come to agreement on the facts of the case, lasted 15 minutes. No one testified, and no decision is expected soon.

Afterward, Goslin met with many of her supporters, most of whom came in buses and vans from Lancaster County.

“I’m very blessed I have all this support,” she said in a brief interview.

The large group applied for and received permission to hold a rally outside the building where Goslin had her hearing, at Penn Center on North 3rd St. in Harrisburg. The rally was being held after the New Era’s deadline.

James Strickler of Mountville, a member of the Old Order River Brethren, traveled to Harrisburg with dozens of others for the hearing and rally.

“Our main concern is that we are permitted to have home births,” said Strickler, a member of the group Birth Without Boundaries, which organized the rally.

Two Lancaster County Amishmen who also were attending the rally said they wanted to show their support for Goslin, and the right to have their children born at home.

The state Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs filed a complaint against Goslin in October 2006, alleging she was practicing medicine and nurse-midwifery without a license during a January 2005 birth.

Lay midwives, who have a wide variety of training and backgrounds, are not licensed by Pennsylvania and do not operate under the state’s set standards for training or education. The state licenses only midwives who have graduated from an approved program and passed an approved examination.

At issue is whether Goslin and other lay midwives are nonetheless regulated by the state’s Medical Practice Act, which oversees licensed midwives and the practice of medicine in general.

In her response to the complaint, Goslin acknowledges she does not hold a state license. But she disputes the state’s allegation that she delivered the child.

“(Goslin) does not know what the Bureau specifically means through the use of the term ‘delivering.’ (Goslin) was present for the birth of the child, but did not ‘deliver’ the child,” the response reads.

She also denied engaging in the “practice of a ‘nurse-midwife,’ within the meaning of the Medical Practice Act” and portraying herself as a provider of “antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and/or non-surgically related gynecological care.”

“(Goslin) holds herself out as a midwife who has received appropriate training,” her response reads.

Goslin and many other lay midwives train and seek certification from the North American Registry of Midwives every three years.

It’s unclear how many lay midwives there are locally or statewide. But Goslin and Hamilton say the outcome of this case could have a far-reaching impact.

Goslin, who is 49 and lives near Strasburg, said she was overwhelmed by all the support this morning.

“I’m trying to keep from crying,” she said. “I feel that (the issue) is very important to these communities. That is why they’re all here. We’re hoping that this is going to legitimize and clarify the need for midwifery in our state.”

The Board of Medicine will issue its ruling in the case within six months.