Ex-Midwife Pleads Guilty in Baby’s Death
A former Orange County midwife pleaded guilty Friday to contributing to the death of a stillborn baby boy, marking the first successful criminal prosecution of a licensed midwife in California.
Lori Jensen, 46, was stripped of her license and given five years’ probation by Superior Court Judge Gregory H. Lewis. Jensen admitted that she induced the labor of a San Juan Capistrano woman in 1998 by injecting her with a drug without the supervision of a doctor.
Caroline Phan, 37, survived the delivery, but her baby was pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital. Midwives are prohibited from administering drugs without the supervision of a doctor.
Although Jensen faced a potential three-year sentence, prosecutors were satisfied with the outcome.
“She is never going to do this to anybody again,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Ebrahim Baytieh.
Jensen is one of only two licensed midwives ever to face investigations by the Medical Board of California.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
