NY Midwives works hard throughout the year to advocate for midwives and midwifery. These efforts include our annual Advocacy Day in Albany, helping midwives with barriers to practice, and educating consumer and provider groups about midwifery.
Just like the American College of Nurse-Midwives, NYM’s advocacy efforts focus on improving the policy environment for the practice of midwifery. We also support efforts by consumers, employers, payers and providers to ensure that high-quality, high-value care is delivered to women and their babies.
Every year, NYM members, board members, and midwifery consumers and allies gather in Albany to lobby for causes related to midwifery and women’s health. This event is organized by our Legislative Committee. Watch this page for more information as Advocacy Day nears!
Advocacy Day 2023 is being held on April 25th, 2023 in Albany, NY! New York Midwives invites you to join us in our efforts of advocating behalf of the midwives of New York State!
For information about what we’ve lobbied for in the past, check out our legislative history below and memoranda of support.
NYM releases memoranda of support for bills that further midwifery, women’s health, and reproductive health.
2023 – 2024 Legislative Session: 2023 Legislative Agenda
- S2398/A4697 – Daniel’s Law
- S1066a/A1709a – Protection of Reproductive Health Services Provided by NYS Licensed Practitioners
- S03060/A03279 – Reproductive Health Training Grant
- S01213/A01395c – Medication Abortion available via SUNY and CUNY Institutions
- S5517/A2367a – Advisory Council on Maternal Mortality and Morbidity to Review Cesarean Births at Hospitals in the State
- S311a/A4927 – Informs Maternity Patients of the Risks Associated with Cesarean Section
2021-2022 Legislative Session:
Legislative History
NYM and its legislative supporters successfully introduced and passed the following bills which subsequently became law.
2003 : NYS Legislature passed a bill adding Licensed Midwives to the list of providers who could order lab tests. A.11649 / S.7658 Ch. 524 of 2004
2007 : Physical Therapy bill added Licensed Midwives to the list of providers who could order physical therapy evaluation and treatment.A.5515 / S.3490 (05-06)
2008 : A non-discrimination bill was passed that added Licensed Midwives to the list of providers who could not be denied hospital privileges solely based on class of licensure. We lobbied for this bill for seven years before its successful passage. A.5505 / A.4019-A
2010 : The Midwifery Modernization Act (MMA) amended the midwifery licensing law which had been passed in 1992. The MMA removed the requirement that midwives have a written practice agreement with a physician or hospital, and instead required that midwives advise their patients of what arrangements were in place in case the woman needed care beyond the scope of practice of the midwife. A.8117-B / S.5007-A
2016 : The Midwifery Birth Center Bill will allow midwives to be the owners and clinical directors of birth centers and enable the Health Commissioner to make regulations specific to birth centers. A.09398/S.07121
