By Emily Nadal
A bill that would allow
women more comfortable with
having babies at home through
the use of licensed midwives
remained in limbo as the state
legislative session ended last
week.
State Sen. Julia Salazar
(D-Brooklyn) sponsored the
legislation, S7078, called the
Community Midwife Bill, which
would authorize Certified Professional
Midwives (CPM) to
practice in New York State.
Currently, New York only
recognizes Certified Nurse-
Midwives (CNM) and Certified
Midwives (CM). Both require
graduate-level degrees. Though
becoming a CPM does not
require an advanced degree,
CPMs must go through an
intense certification process
and fulfill substantial experience
requirements.
“CPM specializes in community
birth, including in homes
and birth centers. These practitioners,
whom this bill would
license as Community Midwives,
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are an integral part of
the women’s health and birth
care continuum. Community
Practice Midwives are able to
offer a level of culturally sensitive
care and comfort that
birthing people often struggle
to find in the hospital birth
system,” said Salazar.
Advocates for the proposed
measure argue that women of
color are increasingly considering
alternatives to hospital settings
for giving birth because
of the high maternal mortality
rate in the United States which
stands at 17 deaths for every
100,000 births.
That number nearly doubles
for Black women. In New
York State, Black women are
8-12 times more likely to die
in childbirth than their white
counterparts, according to
advocates of the measure.
Opponents argue that the
legislation as written falls short
of medical; consensus and safety.
“We support expansion
of midwifery options for all
women, particularly women in
low-income communities who
lack access to this option. We
must ensure, however, that
midwifery care is safe and
provides high-quality care to
mothers and their babies. This
legislation does not do that,”
says Carl Ginsburg of the New
York State Nurses Association.
“Expanding access to midwifery
services is not a matter
of creating a new lower-level
title, as proposed by this legislation.
It is the lack of interest,
funding and support from the
state and hospital networks to
expand access to these services
that is the real problem that
needs to be addressed,” Ginsburg
added.
During the pandemic, Governor
Cuomo issued an executive
order allowing CPMs to
practice, as well as midwives
licensed out of state to deliver
babies in the home to alleviate
hospital’s burden to deal with
the pandemic. The order is set
to expire on June 24.
The bill did not pass in this
Midwife holding up a vernix covered newborn just after he
was born in the delivery room, being peaceful and serene,
still attached with umbilical cord. Copyright: zlikovec
session and currently remains
in the Higher Education Committee
in both state legislative
chambers. But birth justice
advocates, like midwife
and founder of Birth from the
Earth, Nubia Earth-Martin, are
hoping it will be reintroduced
next session.
“What it means for my community
is educating them about
their options for giving birth,”
says Earth-Martin. “I never tell
somebody they should have a
home birth because it’s not for
everyone. But I want them to
know what their options are,
especially Black women.”
Community Midwife
Legislation stalls in Albany
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