CHICAGO, Illinois — A new law signed today by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker will provide a better pathway for midwives to become licensed and certified in the state.
The legislation establishes standards for the qualification, education, training and experience of people who seek to be licensed as certifed professional midwives.
Currently, only midwives with nursing degrees can practice in Illinois.
“With the legislation I sign today, the lifesaving and lifegiving work midwives perform will be legally recognized here in Illinois. It’s a victory decades in the making and one that recognizes the full worth and value of midwives in reproductive care,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker.
The law creates the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, which licenses individuals who perform out-of-hospital births and have earned the credentials need to be a professional midwife.
Under the new legislation, an individual must be certified by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and they must also have completed an accredited postsecondary midwifery education program. An individual who has been accredited by NARM but has not completed an accredited program can still obtain licensure if they have practiced as a certified professional midwife for more than three years and hold other certifications.
“With the signing of this legislation, Illinois becomes the 37th state to recognize Certified Professional Midwives as skilled, trained, competent professionals able to serve the people of Illinois,” said Barbara Belcore-Walkden, Acting President of the Ilinois Council for Certified Professional Midwives.
Due to the pandemic, more soon-to-be mothers have turned to home births, in which midwives provide guidance before and during delivery, as well as critical postpartum care. Furthermore, data indicates that women of color in Illinois are more likely to experience complications from a pregnancy-related condition.
The new law takes effect October 1, 2022.
