We need your help today to pass Senate bill 2636: An Act Relative to a Board of Registration in Midwifery !!! Don’t wait. If you believe in midwifery care, have used a midwife, or just support midwifery care, the time is critical and we need you today.
The purpose of this bill is to have the Commonwealth set standards for the practice of midwifery in
Massachusetts.
The bill creates a Board of Registration of Midwifery, which will regulate the practice of Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs), Certified Midwives (CMs), and Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs).
Currently, the Commonwealth only regulates the practice of CNMs, through the Board of Registration in Nursing. There is no state oversight of CMs and CPMs. Midwives who are not nurses provide midwifery services to women across the state.
This bill is needed to ensure that midwifery care is practiced safely in all settings in
Massachusetts, with clear standards and state oversight by a Board of Registration in Midwifery. The bill articulates a definition of midwifery adopted by the World Health Organization, and promotes a midwifery model of care. Encouragement of midwifery practice will:
- Increase access to cost effective, high quality OB-GYN care – especially critical since there is a serious shortage of OB-GYN physicians in
Mass.
- Lower soaring C-section rates in
Massachusetts – now one third of all births and increasing.
What This Bill Does:
- Establishes state oversight of midwifery through a Board of Registration of Midwifery, which will regulate the practice of CNMs, CMs, and CPMs.
- Authorizes the Board and the Department of Public Health (DPH), in consultation with the Board of Midwifery, to promulgate regulations relative to prescriptive authority for CNMs and CMs, and the privilege of obtaining and administering medications necessary for the scope of practice of CNMs, CMs, and CPMs.
- Establishes a special committee to coordinate the transfer of the midwifery licensing function of the Board of Registration in Nursing to the Board of Registration in Midwifery.
For more information about how you can help, please email info@mfom.org today!
Featuring Orgasmic Birth & The Business of Being Born
The goal of Believe in Birth is to empower families & communities by increasing awareness & providing information & resources for Natural Birth.
These films, as well as the current trend in routine intervention which has resulted in skyrocketing C-Section rates, have inspired families to explore options for birth outside of the typical OBGYN -Hospital model.
The films give a clear picture of the birth experience in different settings. Each film will be followed by a panel and Q&A session. Showings will occur in Dartmouth, Falmouth, Chatham, Plymouth, and Quincy. For more information & dates, as well as CEU opportunities please visit our websites.
Presented by The Birth Year Network (www.birthyearnetwork.org) & Massachusetts Friends of Midwives (www.mfom.org).