Metro Atlanta midwife found guilty on multiple charges after multiple near-deadly home births

A metro Atlanta woman has been found guilty of practicing medicine without a license and other charges after officials say she performed medical procedures during childbirths. Officials say at least two women nearly died while in labor under 64-year-old Rene Morrow's care. According to Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadway, seven of the nine charges that a jury found Morrow guilty of stem from a home birth in 2022. In that case, prosecutors say Morrow performed multiple procedures she was not licensed to perform, including administering medication, inserting a catheter, and performing a manual uterine procedure. According to authorities, the mother in the case experienced severe blood loss, but Morrow never told her family she was experiencing a medical emergency. Morrow eventually called 911. By that time, officials say the woman was vomiting and had gone unconscious. When the woman reached the hospital, investigators say she had lost half the blood in her body from a severe hemorrhage. "Medical experts who testified at trial stated that, based on the woman's condition, they would have transferred her to a hospital at least five hours earlier," the district attorney's office wrote in a release. During the trial, two other clients described experiencing similar scary moments during their labor. One of them nearly died during childbirth, while the other lost her baby, officials said. Records showed that Morrow was not licensed as a physician, nurse, or certified midwife. A search of her home led officers to find expired drugs, needles, sutures, and other medical equipment. Following an hours-long deliberation, a jury found Morrow guilty of practicing medicine without a license, practicing nursing without a license, three counts of unlawful practice of midwifery, two counts of reckless conduct, possession of a dangerous drug, and criminal attempt. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday. In: Georgia Crime Featured Local Savings