Doyle signs bills on midwives

Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. - Midwives who aren't nurses must obtain a state license under a bill
Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law Monday.

Under the law, Applicants must hold a valid professional midwife credential from the
North American Registry of Midwives or the American College of Nurse Midwives. The
state Department of Regulation and Licensing must develop rules spelling out
medications midwives can administer, such as oxygen, postpartum anti-bleeding agents
and intravenous fluids.

A licensed midwife also must disclose to clients his or her training and experience,
whether the midwife has malpractice insurance and procedures for handling medical
emergencies.

Nobody will be allowed to act as a midwife without a license or a temporary permit from
the state.

The legislation gained momentum after criminal charges were filed in the death of a child
during delivery.

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NOTE from Grandma Midwife:

No fault was ever implied on the part of the midwife, but the prosecutor personally went after the midwife for no license, even though she was fully nationally certified and Wisconsin had no license available. We deluged Wisconsin with letters demanding that they start licensing midwives immediately to prevent bureaucratic abuses like this from happening again, and apparently they saw reason. Once in a while you win one.