Alabama Licenses Midwives for the First Time in Decades
For the first time in more than 40 years, Alabama has licensed professional midwives. Last week, the newly formed Alabama State Board of Midwifery issued credentials to five women, who can now legally attend home births in the state. But some say there is more work to be done.
Layla Brown, a midwife from Fultondale, is one of five women who recently received a license to practice in Alabama. Before that, Brown says she still attended home births, but it was risky. Without a license, she could have faced criminal charges for delivering babies at home.
“I’m happy because I don’t have to be fearful of going in to a hospital when I need care,” Brown says. “I can go in and say, ‘Hey I’m legitimate. I’m a licensed midwife,’ and hopefully be treated with respect.”
The new licensing process comes after years of lobbying and regulation passed in 2017 that laid the groundwork for midwives to legally attend home births. To gain the credential, a midwife must be a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and buy liability insurance. The law also limits the scope of what midwives can do and the types of pregnancies they can attend. Brown says it is not perfect.
“Yes, celebrate that we have licensed midwives in Alabama,” Brown says, “but know that this law, the way it’s written, is not in the best interest of mothers and babies, and we’re going to have to go back to the table.”
Licenses are administered by the Alabama State Board of Midwifery. The group plans to meet May 3rd to review the next round of licensing applications.
‘The Abandons’ is a sudsy soap opera dressed up in spurs and a cowboy hat
On the surface it's a gorgeous, hardscrabble Western, awash in stark landscapes, grubby faces, bar fights and banditry. But scratch away the grime, and you expose the pure, glitzy soap opera beneath.
Sudanese paramilitary drone attack kills 50, including 33 children, doctor group says
Thursday's attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years.
Russia unleashes drone and missile attack on Ukraine as diplomatic talks continue
Russia unleashed a major missile and drone barrage on Ukraine overnight into Saturday, after U.S. and Ukrainian officials said they'll meet on Saturday for talks aimed at ending the war.
Takeaways from the latest special election and what it means for control of the House
There was yet another sign this week of a potential 2026 wave that could hand control of the House of Representatives to Democrats.
West Virginians question National Guard deployments after attack on 2 of their own
Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., while Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was seriously wounded. Trump says the deployments are necessary to fight crime, but others disagree.
Trump official signals potential rollback of changes to census racial categories
Trump officials are reviewing changes to racial and ethnic categories that the Biden administration approved for the 2030 census and other federal government forms, a White House agency official says.
