Massachusetts Legislation
Massachusetts’ regressive policies when it comes to midwives are a barrier to our autonomous birthing choices, racial equity and justice, and better health outcomes for birthing people.
Everyone in Massachusetts should be able to choose where they give birth and the type of maternity care that is most appropriate for their needs. Unfortunately, our state currently lags the nation when it comes to access to midwives, birth centers, home birth, and integration of care -- models that can reverse our rising maternal mortality and growing racial inequities in birth outcomes. Join us in advocating for long-overdue legislation to expand access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options.
Use our quick & easy tool to take action now in support of midwifery legislation in Massachusetts.
Current status of midwifery in Massachusetts:
- Bottom 1/3 of states for midwifery integration
- No insurance or Medicaid coverage for most home births
- No state recognition or licensure for the Certified Professional Midwife credential (despite being available in 38 other states!)
- Lack of integration of care across home and hospital birth settings
- Only 1 freestanding birth center operating statewide since the closures of Cambridge Birth Center and North Shore Birth Center
It’s time to pass certified professional midwife licensure!
An Act promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options, H.2209/S.1457 (refile of legislation previously named "Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety"), sponsored by Rep. Kay Khan, Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley, and Sen. Becca Rausch will license certified professional midwives and add them as Medicaid/MassHealth providers for a more equitable, safer, and integrated maternity care system. Massachusetts is one of just 13 states that does not yet license these nationally-accredited health care providers, a key workforce to meet provider shortages for birth centers as well as home births. Midwives fact sheet
Massachusetts birth center regulations need updating
In addition to integrating and enabling the midwifery workforce, Massachusetts must address the outdated, onerous regulations that inhibit the development and sustainability of freestanding birth centers. Did you know that, after recent closures in Beverly and Cambridge, there is just 1 birth center operating statewide (in Northampton), despite the proliferation of this model to 400 birth centers across the U.S.? An Act updating the regulations governing licensed birth centers in Massachusetts, H.3616/S.1335, sponsored by Rep. Manny Cruz, Rep. Chynah Tyler, and Sen. Jo Comerford will support new and existing birth centers, an accessible option that has been shown to improve outcomes while reducing health care costs. Birth center regs fact sheet
Birthing Justice — comprehensive package to improve care
The language of the midwifery and birth center bills, and many other important components of a high quality maternity care system, are including in Senator Liz Miranda's omnibus package An Act relative to birthing justice in the Commonwealth, S.1415.
Tell legislators you support midwifery legislation in Massachusetts.
More bills we support!
We have endorsed (and will continue to endorse and support) a variety of additional bills that promote the health and well being of birthing people and their families.
An Act to Increase Access to Nurse-Midwifery Services, H.1069/S.607, sponsored by Rep. Kay Khan, Sen. Brendan Crighton for parity in reimbursement for nurse midwives, who currently get reimbursed at a lower rate than physicians even when providing the exact same services
An Act to expand equitable perinatal mental health services (aka Massachusetts Moms Matter Act), H.1984/S.1261, sponsored by Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley establishing two grant programs to expand and diversify the perinatal mental health workforce and invest in community programs that support the mental health and well-being of birthing people and other new parents.
Budget priorities
Funding for Neighborhood Birth Center
We support funding for Neighborhood Birth Center in the state budget. In 2022, Bay State Birth Coalition partnered with Neighborhood Birth Center to advocate for budget amendments filed by Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley, then-Rep. (now Senator) Liz Miranda, and Senator Lydia Edwards to fund Neighborhood Birth Center, and $100,000 of funding was adopted into the state budget. We hope to see this increase in 2023.