Our Bodies Ourselves Advocates for Midwives
OBOS Joins Bay State Birth Coalition for Midwife Advocacy Day at the Massachusetts Statehouse
by Nikhita Borkar
On April 14, Our Bodies Ourselves graduate fellow Nikhita Borkar and program associate Grace Koch joined over 100 activists for Midwife Advocacy Day at the Massachusetts State House. The event was hosted by the Bay State Birth Coalition to celebrate the 2024 Omnibus Midwifery and Maternal Health Law, and gather support for S.697/H.4334: An Act to Increase Access To Nurse-Midwifery Services. Our Bodies Ourselves (OBOS) has long been an avid supporter of the movements for midwifery and birth justice in Massachusetts, and around the world. Increasing access to midwifery remains a priority of our advocacy work.
The Bay State Birth Coalition is a collective of advocates, midwives, and healthcare providers that calls for legislation to expand access to out-of-hospital birth options and midwifery care in all settings. Over 20 organizations partner with Bay State Birth Coalition, including Reproductive Equity Now, Birth Equity and Justice Massachusetts (BEJMA), Mass NOW, Our Bodies Ourselves, and the Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice at Tufts University School of Medicine.
The morning of advocacy started with mingling and speeches from midwives, advocates, and Massachusetts representatives supporting this crucial legislation. Speakers included state Senator Liz Miranda, Representative Marjorie Decker, and Representative Manny Cruz, alongside experts and activists Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha (Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice), Katherine Rushfirth (Boston College and American College of Nurse Midwives), Zev Colsen (National Association of Certified Professional Midwives), and Emily Anesta (Bay State Birth Coalition). After those inspiring speeches, advocates split into groups to visit the Massachusetts Statehouse and express support for the S.697/H.4334 bill to legislators and their staff.
Nikhita Borkar reports that she met with the offices of Senator Liz Miranda, Representative Russell E. Holmes, Representative Hannah Bowen, and Senator Joan B. Lovely. Nikhita spoke to them about her experience as a public health student learning about and seeing disparities in access to quality maternal care and the stark differences in birthing outcomes for women of color and women in underserved communities, even in a state as progressive as Massachusetts. Other members in her group shared their support for the bills with stories about their own children being born with midwives, still being in contact with their midwife from 20 years ago, and having generations of midwives in their families.
About the Legislation
The 2024 Omnibus Midwifery and Maternal Health Law, signed into law by Governor Maura Healey, expanded access to midwives and birth centers across Massachusetts. This includes equitable reimbursement rates through MassHealth for certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), updated regulations for state birth centers, and established licensure for certified professional midwives (CPMs).
S.697/H.4334: An Act to Increase Access to Nurse-Midwifery Services builds upon the Omnibus Bill to require private insurance companies to reimburse CNMs at the same rate as physicians. This bill would expand access to reproductive care through increased CNM services and out-of-hospital birth options.
Why midwifery is needed
- Midwives provide personalized, culturally tailored pregnancy care and joy throughout the birthing experience.
- Midwife care is associated with lower rates of medical interventions, shorter hospital stays, and higher breastfeeding rates.
- This includes fewer unnecessary C-sections, premature births, infant deaths, maternal deaths, and lower rates of healthcare mistreatment.
- Healthcare workforce shortages and facility closures have reduced access to care in many communities.
- Improved health outcomes associated with midwifery can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare savings for the State.
Why these bills are important
- Life-threatening pregnancy complications have doubled over the past 10 years in Massachusetts.
- Maternal mortality is 3.5 times higher for Black women than for white women in the U.S.
- The U.S. has far fewer midwives than other wealthy nations, and worse birth outcomes than those of other nations.
- The closures of birth centers and maternity units have reduced access to care and birthing options.
- Equitable reimbursement makes it more cost-effective for providers to expand midwifery services and thus to address the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis.
- Midwives deserve sustainable reimbursement rates, investments in training and education, and student loan forgiveness opportunities.
We all deserve to have access to birth centers, midwives, doulas, and supportive birthing experiences. Our Bodies Ourselves will continue to support the amazing midwives in Massachusetts and the birth centers to come.
