Midwives for MOMS Act Reintroduced in the House
This week, U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (IA-02) reintroduced the Midwives for MOMS Act (H.R.6934) in the 19th Congress, joined by co-lead Representative Adam Gray (CA-13). This bipartisan legislation would expand the education and training pipeline for credentialed midwives and nurse-midwives, ensuring more providers can serve the communities that urgently need their care.
“Maternity care workforce shortages are driving the rise of maternity care deserts across the U.S.,” said Kate Bauer, AABC Executive Director. “We commend Representatives Hinson and Gray for their leadership in expanding access to midwifery and birth center care. This legislation will help fund the education of more credentialed midwives, strengthening the maternity care workforce in the communities that urgently need it most.”
This Midwives for Moms Act would increase access to evidence-based and culturally congruent maternity care as provided by certified professional midwives (CPMs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), and certified midwives (CMs) by establishing two new funding streams for midwifery education:
- one in the Title VII Health Professions Training Programs, and
- one in the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs. Additionally, the legislation would address the significant lack of diversity in the maternity care workforce by prioritizing students from rural or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I am on a mission to ensure women in rural Iowa have access to the best possible maternal care while they’re expecting and taking care of a newborn. Increasing midwifery services is a proven way to help expecting moms get the care they need during one of the most pivotal times in their lives, and will help us address significant gaps in maternal care. The bipartisan Midwives for MOMS Act will help bring more trained midwives to rural and underserved areas, so we have more healthy moms and healthy babies,” said Congresswoman Hinson.
“Many expectant mothers in the Valley don’t have access to dependable maternity care. But it’s not a unique problem: across rural America, women are forced to travel long distances just to receive the essential care they need for a safe pregnancy,” said Congressman Gray. “I’m proud to partner with my colleague Representative Hinson on this bipartisan commonsense bill to ensure that mothers have reliable access to health care and bring resources home for mothers across the Valley.”
The Midwives for MOMS Act (S.1599) was reintroduced in the Senate earlier this year by Senator Ben Ray Luján (NM).
AABC encourages people to contact their legislators and ask them to co-sponsor this important legislation.