Solving the Modern “Midwife Problem”: The Case for Non-Nurse Midwifery Legislation in Pennsylvania
Volume 91, No. 1, Fall 2018
Pennsylvania has a high home-birth rate, and non-nurse midwives attend most Pennsylvania home births. In 2015, non-nurse midwives attended at least 1,300 deliveries in Pennsylvania. All of the non-nurse midwives who attended these deliveries did so illegally. Non-nurse midwives in Pennsylvania practice illegally because the Midwife Regulation Law proscribes midwifery practice without a license, and Pennsylvania currently provides no path to licensure for non-nurse midwives.