The tragic tale of an Arizona family mourning the loss of a mother and her newborn baby has sparked a discussion about the regulation of midwives in the state. Last December, in a home birth overseen by midwife Sarah Kankiewicz, Jordan Terry and her baby Mack were lost due to complications during childbirth – a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section) that turned fatal. According to Arizona’s Family, Jordan's husband, Parker Terry, recalls his wife losing color in her face during labor and midwife Kankiewicz assuring them she was okay, right up until she became unconscious.
On top of the grief, the Terrys' ordeal has become a case study in the adequacy of oversight for midwives in Arizona. Investigation found that Kankiewicz had previously been issued multiple notifications for violating health and safety regulations, as per ABC15. Despite these breaches, which dated back years and included another traumatic birth reported by a patient named Heather Flowers, the system allowed Kankiewicz to continue practicing until the recent fatalities.
Graham County's community and local midwives started to immediately ask for justice – and reform. Documentary evidence of five civil penalties for Kankiewicz's late paperwork, coupled with substantive neglect during labor, pointed to a deeply concerning pattern. "Where's the accountability? Where's the consequence here?" Parker Terry told Arizona’s Family.
In the wake of these events, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) announced a plan to revoke Kankiewicz's license, as detailed by ABC15. The ADHS enforcement action is ongoing, yet the details of their investigative and disciplinary procedures remain largely opaque to the public eye.
