Why Pa. repealed a 100-year-old midwife law | Morning Newsletter

Good morning, newsletter friends. The weather is looking much better today 🤞.

Pennsylvania lawmakers last month quietly repealed an unenforced 1929 law that allowed the main group of midwives delivering home births, to practice.

A Gilded Age village in Chester County is up for auction. Yes, an entire village.

Plus, the case of a fugitive pornographer, his troubled son, and missing women; the question of where to display the repaired Frank Rizzo statue; and more news of the day.

— Ellen Dunkel (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Midwife-assisted home births at risk

Pennsylvania lawmakers last month quietly repealed an unenforced 1929 law that allowed traditional midwives, the main group of midwives delivering home births, to practice.

Now, traditional midwives — who differ from midwives usually found in hospitals, are not medically trained and often serve religious minorities like the Amish — are worried they have no legal standing to work in Pennsylvania, and are challenging the repeal in state court.

Other forms of midwifery — such as nurse midwives and certified midwives, who are medically trained and are formally affiliated with a doctor or health system — are highly regulated by the state and its medical board.

But these affiliations often prevent nurse midwives and certified midwives from offering home births, as the health systems see them as possible risks for medical malpractice lawsuits.

Reporter Gillian McGoldrick has more details.

Gilded age village for sale

A historic destination in Chester County will be sold at an absolute public auction to the highest bidder.

Nestled in Warwick Township, St. Peter’s Village could see a bump in residences if initial development visions are executed.

But this small village’s scenic, rural location is a bit out of the way.

At the auction, scheduled for Sept. 30 at the Desmond Hotel Malvern, up for sale will be roughly 83 acres of the historic 19th-century village that sprung up in the Gilded Age, thanks to its rich mineral resources and its proximity to French Creek.

Reporter Brooke Shultz explains what happens when a village goes on the block.

What you should know today

• Five takeaways from the case of a fugitive pornographer, his troubled son, and missing women
• A Clifton Heights man who fired a gun three times in a crowded Walmart, injuring a bystander, has been charged with attempted murder.
• New Jersey GOP sees momentum for voter ID law after the governor’s comments in favor of it.
• The Frank Rizzo statue is repaired, and the search for a new location is underway.
• It is possible to tap the earth for more efficient geothermal heating and air conditioning at Philly schools, a new study says.
• The Philly school district promotes some administrators, changes principals elsewhere. Here’s a rundown.
• The Phillies acquired the National League batting leader Luis Arraez from Giants before the trade deadline.

Quote of the day

Spirit Halloween, the retailer best known for its costumes, animatronics, and creepy dolls, hosted the annual grand opening of its 20,000-square-foot flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. Preregistration for the event was capped at 2,000 people, but about 1,000 more people showed up for general admission.

Reporter Sarah Nicell and photographer Tyger Williams checked out the scene.

🧠 Trivia time

Which Philadelphia-area artist turned medical history into high art?

A) N.C. Wyeth

B) Thomas Eakins

C) Man Ray

D) Maxfield Parrish

Think you know? Check your answer.

What we’re…

👀 Eyeing: Two new dessert cafés that opened in Ardmore.

👟 Planning: A “Neighborhood Jawnts” tour that visit various pockets of Philadelphia.

💰 Considering: Artifacts from Gillian’s Wonderland Pier that are still up for sale.

🧩 Unscramble the anagram

Hint: This soccer team visited Philly recently from Europe but is partially owned by a Philadelphian.

AC MEX WHARF

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.

Cheers to Mark Burgoyne, who solved Sunday’s anagram: THOMAS EAKINS. The painter and photographer turned Philadelphia’s medical history into high art. Two of his pieces are on display in the city.

Photo of the day

Enjoy your Tuesday.

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