PHOENIX — The Arizona midwife who surrendered her license following the deaths of one of her clients and a newborn baby is now barred from working as a midwife for 20 years.
A judge decided Friday that Sarah Kankiewicz will not be allowed to reapply to be a midwife for 20 years, five years longer than the agreement Kankewicz agreed to in June with the Arizona Department of Health Services.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office filed a complaint against Kankiewicz for allegedly violating the settlement agreement she signed in June.
In court Friday, Assistant Attorney General Patricia LaMagna said the office had evidence Kankiewicz continued to practice midwifery and represented herself as someone who can still practice midwifery and ordered lab tests for a client.
“That is an extremely dangerous position for her to be with no regulatory oversight,” LaMagna told the judge.
Documents obtained by 12News show Kankiewicz was claiming she’s a monatrice or a doula who has completed midwifery training.
Mike Goldberg, Kankiewicz’s attorney, told the court and 12News that Kankiewicz was not practicing midwifery.
“My client says that the lab sent it back with that designation because she - because that’s what they were used to, that she didn’t use that designation,” Goldberg told the judge.
In the hearing Friday, both parties had agreed to a settlement for a permanent injunction against Kankiewicz practicing midwifery. What was disputed was for how long the injunction would last. The state did not want Kankiewicz to be able to apply for a midwife license again in her life. Her attorney argued for a 15-year ban, the same length as the agreement Kankiewicz signed in June.
“I agree with the state that remaining status quo with the original agreement kind of flies in the face of the violation,” Judge Susana Pineda said.
Ultimately, Pineda ordered Kankiewicz will not be able to reapply or practice midwifery for 20 years.
“Understanding and recognizing that the Arizona Department of Health Services is the gatekeeper, and would that defendant would need to show her qualifications and capabilities in order to be relicensed,” Pineda said.
Parker Terry lost his wife Jordan and son Mack following complications during a homebirth under the care of Kankiewicz.
“Her slap on the wrist is our loss, is our lives being destroyed,” Terry said of Friday’s decision. “And for what? For what? There’s no justice in this.”
Terry said he was disappointed in the decision and said he plans to keep fighting and hoping for criminal charges.
“The only way that’s going to stop her is if she’s behind bars,” Terry said. “Or if she morally makes that decision and just quits and if the state’s not going to do that and if she’s not going to do that then it’s up to us and the public to keep fighting and keep talking about it so that everybody knows, so that nobody hires her.”
Goldberg told 12News Kankiewicz could not be available for an interview, saying he found the outcome “fair.”
“She cares a lot about women and women who are pregnant, and she's going to see if there's a way to be able to support them that steers way clear of being a midwife,” Goldberg said of Kankiewicz’s future plans.
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