Of Diane Goslin’s hundreds of supporters here Friday, most were Lancaster County Amish who say they feel threatened by the possible state fines against Goslin, who has helped with many of their births.

“My wife and neighbors are scared and afraid of what will happen to them if Diane Goslin gets shut down,” said Daniel King, a Quarryville Amishman who said Goslin assisted with the births of five of his eight children.

“We need lay midwives to continue in Pennsylvania because our children are a gift from God, and so they can continue to come to our homes at any given time, day or night,” said King, who spoke on behalf of the three busloads of Amish who came from southern Lancaster County.

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

While the hearing was a brief, administrative proceeding, a subsequent rally in the capital rotunda drew hundreds of supporters and lasted nearly 40 minutes.

“I am blessed and overwhelmed to see so many of you here to support me today and to express your desire to be free to give birth in the privacy of your homes,” Goslin said from a podium set up in front of the capital steps where hundreds of her supporters sat.

“As a wife, mother, midwife and teacher, I believe God has given me a call in the time-honored tradition of serving women in one of their greatest times of need,” said Goslin, who lives near Strasburg.

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.

During the rally, Goslin said her purpose and hope was “that this commonwealth will confirm the legitimacy and legality of all qualified midwives throughout Pennsylvania.”

Friday’s rally was organized by Birth Without Boundaries, a Steelton-based organization that seeks to eliminate restrictions on where women can give birth.
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