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On Wednesday, state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-District 3, presented SB87 before the Senate Healthcare Committee. The bill looks to clarify laws surrounding the practice of midwifery, which was legalized in Alabama in 2017.
Firstly, SB87 makes it explicit in law that freestanding birth centers are not to be considered hospitals, thereby allowing midwives to practice at such facilities.
The bill also looks to allow midwives in the state to administer newborn blood spot screenings, mandatory tests that need to be performed soon after a child is born to detect rare genetic disorders that may not be apparent at birth.
The committee held a public hearing during which multiple individuals spoke in support of the legislation.
“The midwife is not diagnosing, the midwife is not treating, the midwife is making sure that all babies, no matter where they’re born, receive this test in that 24 to 48 hours,” explained Nancy Megginson, a licensed midwife.
Megginson explained that babies born outside of hospitals often don’t receive these screenings from traditional physicians until two weeks after birth, losing precious time which could be spent diagnosing and treating potential genetic disorders were those screenings to come back positive. She added that over 400 out-of-hospital births occurred in the state last year and that the number is only growing.
Another licensed midwife shared multiple stories of babies she delivered who received delayed newborn screenings or no screenings at all because of current Alabama law preventing midwives from conducting these screenings and inadequate compliance from physicians and pediatricians.
“Please, in the interest of the health and safety of our Alabama babies, allow midwives to work alongside pediatricians and administer newborn screens,” she added. “As it stands, midwives are being restricted from practicing under their scope of training and this is just not fair, it’s not fair to these babies.”
Lastly, an Alabama mother described her own experience of going to Florida to deliver her children due to concerns about the lack of access to timely screenings had she given birth with a midwife in Alabama. Knowing that she herself had sickle cell anemia, she wanted to make sure her babies were screened as soon as possible after birth. The tests she received in Florida did ultimately show that her children had inherited the sickle cell trait.
“If my babies did not get their PKU’s done and their testing done, there quality of life would not be where it is now,” she explained. “Since I know that they have the sickle cell trait and the sickle cell disease, I am able to go ahead and get them the care that they need early.”
Sen. Orr opted to table the bill for the time being, with the committee set to vote on it at a later date.
