The department shall require reports from, regulate, investigate, and inspect all birthing centers and records of these facilities as necessary and promulgate regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The regulations must include, but not be limited to, the following requirements:

(1) Births planned to occur at a birthing center must be restricted to low-risk births following normal, uncomplicated pregnancy.

lawyer at desk

Ask a business law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified business lawyers.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 44-89-60

  • Birthing center: means a facility or other place where human births are planned to occur. See South Carolina Code 44-89-30
  • Department: means the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. See South Carolina Code 44-89-30
  • Low risk: means normal, uncomplicated prenatal course as determined by adequate prenatal care and prospects for a normal, uncomplicated birth as defined by reasonable and generally accepted criteria of maternal and fetal health. See South Carolina Code 44-89-30
  • Physician: means a doctor of medicine or osteopathy with training in obstetrics or midwifery and licensed by the South Carolina State Board of Medical Examiners to practice medicine. See South Carolina Code 44-89-30

(2) Birthing centers shall provide care by physicians, certified nurse-midwives, or licensed lay-midwives to childbearing women during pregnancy, birth, and puerperium.

(3) A physician must be on call and available to provide medical assistance at the birthing center at all times that it is serving the public.

(4) A physician shall make a written determination that the planned birth is low risk.

The regulations also must provide that any birthing center which is in operation at the time of promulgation of these regulations is given a reasonable period of time, not to exceed one year from the date of the promulgation, within which to comply with the regulations.

  Previous section
Next section  
 Chapter 89 Contents