ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - A new bill in Illinois could make home births a lot safer.
Sarah Moore gave birth to her third child Lydia right in the middle of her living room.
"It was awesome, It was exactly what I needed and exactly what I wanted," said Moore.
It was an experience that made Sarah want to become a midwife. The only problem is she can't get a license in Illinois.
"Since the state of Illinois won't give me a license I will have to move out of the state to practice legally," said Sarah.
For the most part, certified professional midwives can only work in Illinois hospitals or outside medical centers with an agreement with a doctor and that's often hard to get.
"You have this system of black market maternity care where maybe you get someone whose trained or maybe you don`t," said Moore.
Moore is part of Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives coalition to get a bill passed to provide a license for the profession. Under the bill people would have to go to school, pass an exam, and apply for a license. They would even need to report to a professional board.
It would replace a system where midwives practicing in the state are few and far between.
"There`s a pocket in Chicago, there`s a pocket in Peoria, our state is huge really and that leaves so much of our state totally uncovered," said Moore.
Tuesday, March 21st, the Rock Island County Board also showed their support for the bill. The board voted to send a letter of support to lawmakers.
“It’s happening we might as well make sure it’s being done safely and you know, look in a time when the state is looking for new avenues for revenue I think this is a no brainer," said board member, Scott Terry.
If approved by the legislature, Illinois would become the 33rd state to license midwives. Iowa doesn't provide licenses either.