07/01/2025
🚨 PA Homebirth Mamas: Heads Up on Senate Bill 507 — It Could Restrict Your Choices! 🚨
This bill (SB 507) would change the laws around midwives in Pennsylvania — and many of us believe it takes power away from families and midwives who choose natural, independent births.
Here’s what you need to know in simple words:
âť— Mandatory Licensing for Certified Midwives
Certified Midwives (CMs) would have to get a state license to practice legally in PA.
This could push out traditional, experienced midwives who don’t want or can’t get a certified license, even if they’ve safely attended births for years.
âť— Forced Doctor Agreements
Midwives who aren’t employed by a hospital, birth center, or big medical group would have to sign a contract with a physician to legally practice.
This means your independent midwife can’t care for you without finding a doctor willing to sign off, which is often impossible in many communities.
âť— More Medicalized Care & Oversight
Midwives would have to follow strict rules about prescribing medicine — including needing a doctor’s approval for certain prescriptions or refills.
Even though this might sound like safety, it takes decision-making power away from midwives and families.
âť— Emergency Plans & Disclosures
Midwives outside hospitals must create detailed, formal emergency plans and have them signed by you, with exact hospitals and doctors listed.
This could mean more red tape and fear-mongering about homebirth, discouraging families from choosing it.
âť— Midwifery Under Medical Control
This bill would effectively place midwifery practice under the authority of the medical establishment, rather than allowing it to remain an independent, traditional practice focused on physiological birth.
đź’” Why This Could Hurt Our Choices:
✅ Many traditional homebirth midwives could lose their ability to serve families legally if they don’t get certified or find a doctor to sign a collaborative agreement.
✅ It could limit the availability of midwives willing to attend homebirths, especially in rural areas where doctors won’t collaborate.
âś… Families may have fewer options for natural, hands-off, traditional birth experiences outside the hospital system.
⚠️ What You Can Do:
Share this info with other mamas who believe in birth freedom.
Contact your state senator to let them know you oppose SB 507 because it threatens midwifery autonomy and limits options for natural birth.
Stay connected in your homebirth groups to organize and stay updated.
🌿 Every mama deserves the right to choose how and where she births, and with whom. Don’t let this bill take that choice away. 🌿
