Wisconsin has just become the 25th state in the US to legalize the practice of lay midwives. The first license has already been issued by the state, and in addition, the new law allows midwives to practice without being involved in a formal health care practice.
Lay midwives are often as experienced as their degree-holding counterparts, but they have had to fight for recognition and the right to practice their vocation openly. Nurse midwives are praising the legislature's decision as a validation of the midwifery model of care for women's health. Approximately 1100 babies were born outside of hospitals in Wisconsin last year, and those numbers are expected to rise with the new regulations.
25 states down, 25 to go!
