Victoria's unregistered birth attendants face no legal duty to recognize life-threatening emergencies

Emily Lal, a previously banned doula, attended Stacey Warnecke's 2025 home birth where the 30-year-old Melbourne wellness influencer died from postpartum haemorrhage. Lal testified she mistook Warnecke's deterioration for a panic attack and saw no obligation to call emergency services. Victoria's regulatory framework does not require unregistered birth attendants to have medical training or recognize obstetric crises, leaving a critical liability gap when births occur outside clinical settings.