The Netanya Magistrate's Court on Monday convicted Dr. Ilan Halevi, 63, from Havazelet Hasharon, a gynecologist and obstetrician, who was accused of operating an illegal complex for natural births and negligence in performing births while endangering the mothers and babies. He was convicted of negligent medical care, prohibition of termination of pregnancy, the Public Health Ordinance and other offenses. The indictment states that in one of the births a baby girl died and in another birth a rupture was created in the mother's uterus.
Dr. Halevy operated Jahara Doula for months, where he performed natural births for high-risk women and abortions for women who did not receive permission to do so. In one of the births, the mother's uterus ruptured, and in another case the baby died. The indictment alleges that Halevy operated the compound in Moshav Havazelet Hasharon, even though it is not a recognized medical institution for performing births, and as part of his activity in the compound accepted women for natural births, despite the fact that there were medical instructions against natural birth.
Ilan Halevy in court at the start of his trial three years ago, photo: Yaron Doron
In July 2018, a woman was admitted to the compound despite knowing that she was classified as a high-risk pregnancy due to two cesarean sections. The indictment attributes to the doctor that although he was aware of the deterioration in the baby's condition, he failed to give her the necessary treatment and she later died in hospital. "The defendant gave her and her newborn medical treatment in a manner that endangered the life of the newborn woman or caused her injury," the indictment said.
A month earlier, Dr. Halevy accepted a woman for a natural birth despite having undergone two cesarean sections, and at the end of the birth he discovered that her uterus had ruptured. In September 2018, the doctor performed an abortion on a woman who had an unwanted pregnancy that did not receive approval from a Health Ministry committee – even though he knew it was illegal. At the end of the procedure, Halevy installed an IUD on the woman, and about two weeks later she was taken to hospital with bleeding and told about the termination of the pregnancy. The woman reported the incident to the doctor, and he, fearing that the authorities would discover that he was continuing to work in violation of orders, instructed the woman to say that the pregnancy was abnormal.
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