At a June 7, 2021 hearing of the Massachusetts legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health, legislators heard an outpouring of support for the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act from mothers, midwives, a nurse, a professor of public health, legislators, and organizations including the Bay State Birth Coalition, Resilient Sisterhood Project, Planned Parenthood, ACNM Massachusetts, National Partnership for Women and Families, and Massachusetts League of Women Voters.
Read MoreMassachusetts State Representative Kay Khan and Senator Becca Rausch refiled the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act on February 19, 2021. The bill would create a pathway to licensure for Certified Professional Midwives practicing in Massachusetts. Most home births are attended by CPMs, who are eligible for licensure in 36 other states including New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island.
The bill also ensures that families who use MassHealth/Medicaid can have their CPM care covered. Licensure also expands opportunities for private insurers to reimburse for CPM care.
In the pandemic, there has been a surge in demand for out-of-hospital birthing options that could be provided by Certified Professional Midwives.
As of March 9, 41 legislators have signed on as cosponsors of the legislation.
Read MoreAlthough the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act was passed unanimously by the Massachusetts Senate on July 30, 2020, the Massachusetts House did not take up the bill in the extended legislative session that ended early in the morning on January 6, 2021. The bill’s sponsors, Senator Becca Rausch and Representative Kay Khan will refile the legislation in 2021.
Read MoreFrom MassLive: “Massachusetts Senate clears bill to license midwives who provide out-of-hospital care”
By Steph Solis
The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would license midwives in Massachusetts, which Sen. Becca Rausch said would reduce costs and improve health outcomes in births.
Rausch, a Needham Democrat who filed the original Senate bill earlier this session, said the bill was not only a cost reduction tool but a maternal justice issue. She said the issue becomes even more crucial during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreWith the COVID-19 crisis, we urge that all credentialed Massachusetts home birth midwives be included in the emergency planning for maternity care and that the state move quickly to ensure that certified professional midwives be licensed to care for women who seek their services. These midwives, who meet international standards for training, could be swiftly trained in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Massachusetts Department of Public Health coronavirus screening algorithms and prevention strategies (if they aren’t already) and thus be of assistance to hospital-based providers who are likely to be overwhelmed in the very near future with symptomatic patients. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/18/opinion/massachusetts-mothers-need-more-childbirth-options/
Read More"Pregnant women are opting for home births as hospitals prepare for coronavirus," Washington Post, March 20, 2020
“More Babies Being Born At Home Due To Coronavirus Concerns,” WBZ 4 Boston, March 23, 2020
“Midwives in higher demand among expectant mothers during pandemic,” Boston25News, April 1, 2020
“‘Grateful that we have this option': Some pregnant women turn to home births amid coronavirus pandemic,” USA Today, April 4, 2020
Read MoreThe number of states who legally authorize and license Certified Professional Midwives to practice is growing. The CPM credential is nationally-accredited, meets international standards for midwifery education and training, and is recognized in 2/3 of the United States.
Read MoreMarking International Day of the Midwife and Mothers Day, the Cambridge City Council votes unanimously to support the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access and Safety Act to increase access to midwives in the Commonwealth.
Read MoreBlack Maternal Health in America
Midwives make a difference,
Featuring an interview with midwife Joelle Leacock
by Isabel Oalican, student at Boston Latin High School
April 17, 2019
A bipartisan group of over 90 Massachusetts lawmakers have sponsored the Out-of-Hospital Birth Access & Safety Act so far. The bill is starting the 191st session with unprecedented support and momentum.
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