BEVERLY, Mass. -- A group of demonstrators lined up outside the North Shore Birth Center in Beverly early Tuesday, protesting a plan to close the center because of skyrocketing malpractice insurance premiums.

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NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that more than 100 protesters lined up with signs in front of the center to try to convince the center's board of trustees to keep it open.

Protester Rebecca Hains said the demonstrators want the board to get more public input before making a decision.

"We're asking for them to postpone the vote, to not make it today, because they're moving too quickly, and to meet with representatives of our campaign so that the community can have a voice in this important decision," Hains said.

"I spoke with the chair of the board and she said the board members are very busy and don't normally meet with the community, so we're asking them to make an exception to that policy and sit down with us. We'd like to have a conversation," Hains said.

She said they hope to convince the board to keep the center open by arguing that statistics indicate nurse midwives are sued at a lower rate than obstetricians.

"We think that their concerns are misplaced and that their really aren't going to be major problems for them moving forward in the birth center. There haven't been for 28 years, why would there be now?" Hains said.

"We hope that they understand that we feel as a community that this is our birth center and that there is a moral issue at stake here. That families need this. It's a public health issue. And for them to make a decision without taking our voices into account, it's just not responsible," she said.