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Women Found Guilty In Bradenton Midwifery Trial

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By ANTHONY CORMIER

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: September 5, 2008

BRADENTON -- A jury today found two members of the McGlade family guilty on charges related to practicing unlicensed midwifery in a fatal 2004 home birth that left a relative dead.

Tanya McGlade, 29, was found guilty of attempted unlicensed midwifery, and Linda McGlade, 57, was found guilty of being a principal to unlicensed midwifery. Both Manatee women face up to five years in prison when they are sentenced on Oct. 27.

This is the second time the women have been found guilty related to a December 2004 home birth that resulted in the death of relative Mara McGlade, who gave birth to a son but died a couple days after in a hospital.

Both McGlades were found guilty and sentenced to prison after the first trial; they were granted a new trial after an appeals court ruled the first judge gave improper jury instructions.

The prosecution argued that the two women, to varying degrees, acted as midwives during the birth, even though they were not licensed to do so. The defense said Mara McGlade and her husband were in control of the birth and that the McGlade women were present but did not act as midwives.

The jury deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before coming back with guilty verdicts.

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