South West Illinois News

Sen. Terri Bryant's House Bill 3401 was recently passed into law, establishing new standards for the certification of midwives in Illinois. 

To receive a license as a midwife, an individual must possess and maintain a legitimate Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) certification given out by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).

"The Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, or SB 3401, sets standards for the qualifications, education, training, and experience of those who seek to obtain licensure as a licensed certified professional midwife, including requirements to work in consultation with hospital-based and privileged health care professionals to promote high standards of professional performance for those licensed to practice midwifery in out-of-hospital settings in this State, to promote a consultative and integrated maternity care delivery system in Illinois with agreed-upon consulting,  transfer, and transport protocols in use by all health care professionals and licensed certified professional midwives across all health care settings to maximize client safety and positive outcomes, to support accredited education and training as a prerequisite to licensure, and to protect the public" the text of the bill reads. 

Bryant took to social media to praise the passage of the bill. 

"The signing of this legislation into law is a momentous victory for the midwives of our state" Bryant posted to her Faceook account on Dec. 16. "For decades, they have been fighting to have their profession receive the official recognition that it rightfully deserves. This newly created certification process will ensure that they can safely continue their work for any mother who wish to use their services and deliver out of a hospital."

Additionally, the bill mandates the completion of a postsecondary midwifery education course,  which must be accredited by the Midwife Education and Accreditation  Council (MEAC). A midwife accredited by NARM who has not finished the MEAC program can still get a license if they have performed as a CPM for over three years and possess other certifications. The new law will take effect Oct. 1, 2022.