Sponsors
The resolution could improve maternal and infant outcomes and reduce costs by expanding and legitimizing midwifery—especially for Black birthing people and underserved communities—but benefits are likely to be uneven, may be delayed by state regulation, and will require funding and care coordination to avoid shifting risks or imposing new public costs.
Black birthing people (and other birthing people of color) could gain greater access to culturally competent midwifery care, which evidence links to improved maternal and infant outcomes.
About 2.2 million women of childbearing age living in maternity care deserts could see increased attention that spurs investment and policy action to improve local perinatal services.
Medicaid beneficiaries and many families could experience lower maternity care costs and fewer interventions (for example, fewer cesarean deliveries) if the midwife workforce expands and practice models shift.
People in states with restrictive licensing and practice rules may face delays or no improvement because state regulatory resistance could block or slow expansion of midwifery services.
Pregnant people with high-risk pregnancies or chronic conditions could be harmed if midwife-led care is expanded without clear coordination and integration with obstetric and specialty services.
Pregnant people and the public could have raised expectations without concrete improvements if the measure increases attention to midwifery but does not include specific funding or implementation commitments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 14, 2025 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress March 14, 2025
Designates March 14, 2025, as “Black Midwives Day” and highlights the role of midwifery—especially Black midwives—in improving maternal health, addressing maternity care deserts, and reducing racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. The resolution cites data on maternity care deserts and elevated maternal mortality for Black women, documents historical and structural barriers to Black midwifery, and calls for investments, policy support, and culturally respectful community-based perinatal care.