Rep. Kay Khan and Sen. Becca Rausch file the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access & Safety Act
On January 18, 2019 the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act was filed by Representative Kay Khan and Senator Becca Rausch. If passed, Massachusetts will join the 33 other states that recognize Certified Professional Midwives, experts in attending births at home and in birth centers. Licensed midwives will be eligible to accept Medicaid/MassHealth and permitted to carry life-saving medications.
The evidence is clear that integrating all midwives into a state’s health care system improves outcomes for moms & babies.
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Legislature does not Pass Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act in 2017-2018 session
Despite the current maternal health crisis nationwide and within MA, the MA legislature did not act to pass the bill HB4655 "An Act Relative to Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety." The bill remained in the Committee on Health Care Financing through the end of the formal legislative session (after midnight on Aug 1). Your calls, e-mails, and State House visits over the past 18 months impressed upon many legislators the importance of this issue and we will build on this momentum moving forward. We look forward to working with the Massachusetts legislature to get the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act passed next session. Maternal and infant health can't wait.
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Massachusetts HB4655 reflects priority recommendations contained in new healthcare policy report
The National Partnership for Women & Families released their “Blueprint for Advancing High-Value Maternity Care Through Physiologic Childbearing” in June 2018 including the priority recommendation to grow the midwifery workforce. Massachusetts HB4655 “An Act Relative to Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety” meets the Blueprint’s recommendations for Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) regulation.
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Advancing social and racial justice
"We see this bill as advancing both social and racial justice... Without this bill, many women will continue to be denied access to home birth midwives." - Judy Norsigian (founder, Our Bodies Ourselves) and Jo-Anna Rorie, CNM, MSN, MPH, FACNM, PhD, addressing misinformation about the bill for out-of-hospital birth access and safety.
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Action Alert: Call/E-mail State Representatives Today
The legislative session ends July 31, so please contact your Representative today. It is time to #PassTheBillAlready for maternity care integration in Massachusetts. We need midwives. It's a matter of life and death.
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Broad coalition of civil rights, women's health, and midwifery organizations support the Massachusetts Bill for Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety
Broad coalition endorses HB4655: ACLU MA, American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), Amnesty International USA, Bay State Birth Coalition, Birth Rights Bar Association, Massachusetts League of Women Voters, Mass NOW, Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), Moms Rising, Inc., NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM), North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), Our Bodies Ourselves, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, and Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts.
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Powerful Speech at Boston's March for Moms/Improving Birth Rally: Midwives and Birth Equity
“It is not equitable for a profession that has so much to offer vulnerable populations to be accessible only to those who can pay out of pocket or take on thousands in debt… We have a viable opportunity to improve the state of home birth here.” - Diana Snyder at the Boston March for Moms/Improving Birth Sister Rally in Copley Square on May 6, 2018
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Action Alert: Time is running out to get the bill out of the Public Health Committee
The bill is being delayed AGAIN! We need everyone's help today! If the Public Health Committee does not act on this bill soon, we won't have another chance to pass it until 2020. We cannot do this without you. Use our easy tool to e-mail your state legislators. (Takes 1 minute.) Or, keep reading for details on how to MAKE 2 CALLS NOW for safe and accessible maternity care options in Massachusetts.
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Leading health, civil rights, and midwifery organizations support HB1189/SB1206
The following organizations dedicated to human rights, social justice, and public health recently renewed their support of HB1189/SB1206: ACLU MA, American College of Nurse Midwives, Amnesty International USA, Bay State Birth Coalition, Massachusetts League of Women Voters, Mass NOW, Midwives Alliance of North America, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, North American Registry of Midwives, Our Bodies Ourselves, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts. Thank you for supporting out-of-hospital birth access and safety!
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December Action Alert: Contact Your State Senator Today!
Contact your State Senator today and ask them to cosponsor the bill. Take 1 minute right now to e-mail your State Senator with our easy tool. Your calls and e-mails really make a difference!
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