Unregistered Birth Attendants in Victoria Have No Legal Duty to Spot Emergencies

Emily Lal, a previously banned doula, attended Stacey Warnecke's home birth in 2025. The 30-year-old Melbourne influencer died from postpartum hemorrhage. Lal testified she mistook Warnecke's deterioration for panic and felt no obligation to call emergency services. Victoria's framework doesn't require unregistered attendants to have medical training or recognize obstetric crises—a critical gap in home birth safety.