Congratulations to Iowa!

We received the following update via NARM:

Congratulations to Iowa and Virginia!

On June 1, 2023 the legislation to license midwives went into effect in Iowa!

This bill offers licensure to CPMs and establishes a regulatory board for midwives in Iowa. CPMs who apply for licensure after July 1, 2024 must have a MEAC education or a Midwifery Bridge Certificate. There are exemptions made for midwives who are "a member of a Native American, Mennonite, or Amish community who provides traditional midwife services to such a community." As well as midwives who "in good faith, engages in the practice of the religious tenets of a church or a religious act if no fee is contemplated, charged, or received."

This makes Iowa the 38th state to enact licensure for direct-entry midwives.

In January 2023, SB1275 was introduced to the Virginia State Senate and was enacted March 26, 2023. This allows licensed midwives to obtain, possess, and administer drugs and devices within the scope of their practice. This is another win for midwives to practice more fully within the scope of their training, but more importantly to meet the needs of families who birth in community settings.

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Of course, victories like this continue to be bittersweet. As every state that borders Georgia provides licensing for the Certified Professional Midwife, Georgia continues to deny us the ability to practice legally within our scope. Not only does this restrict our right to pursue a livelihood, it restricts Georgia family’s access to trained providers for out of hospital birth.

Midwives are moving out of the state of Georgia because of the stress and inability to practice. Our access to supplies is often blocked because we do not have state licensure, we are often confused with untrained people who also call themselves midwives, and we have no recourse for families when someone practices out of scope of practice.

Please continue to stay tuned for opportunities to engage in legislative action in the state of Georgia.