Alabama has overturned a 40-year ban on midwifery after Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 315, a victory years in the making for mothers, doulas and advocates across the state.
‘I signed the midwifery bill because it gives mothers more options to choose how to deliver their baby, while simultaneously ensuring that those midwives who practice in Alabama are qualified to do so,’ Ivey said.
For Courtney Gordon, a certified doula in Mobile training to become a midwife, the change is welcome news. ‘It’s been such a hassle for moms and families who want to have a home birth,’ she said, noting that some Alabama families had to cross the Mississippi border to get the care they wanted.
Colleen Tullis, a Mobile resident and certified midwife of more than a decade, had practiced out of state for years while the profession remained a crime at home. After 13 years of legislation that never made it out of committee, she said this session ‘just started flying.’
The bill cleared the House with few problems and passed the Senate 30-0, though supporters added concessions — requirements for liability insurance, limits on high-risk pregnancies and a mandate to track births, deaths and hospital transfers. A regulatory board of seven, mostly midwives, will be appointed by the governor.
Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, became a last-minute champion on the Senate floor, at one point asking an opponent, ‘Who are you working for? Who has you at the mic trying to kill this bill?’
The Medical Association of the State of Alabama, a key opponent, said it remained concerned about the safety of at-home births but was satisfied the amendments added protections. Tullis expects it could be a year before anyone legally practices in Alabama, but she is hopeful. ‘After 13 years, we’ve proven that perseverance pays off,’ she said.