PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Tell Mississippi Lawmakers to Protect Home Birthing Families
  1. Signatures
    1 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. The MS State Senate (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The MS State Senate
      • The MS State House
  2. Created By
    Mississippi Friends of Midwives
About this Petition Petition Letter

More and more women are giving birth at home and choosing a midwife as their care provider. Currently in Mississippi, lack of regulation allows the practice of midwifery without ANY training or skills assessment.  Because surrounding states have licensed midwives, Mississippi is now and is becoming more attractive as a "safe haven" for unlicensed and possibly unqualified midwives, who cannot legally attend births in their home states.

Furthermore, the medical lobby is working in Mississippi to make direct entry midwives illegal. The physicians' and nurses' professional associations are opposed to out of hospital birth and are working to criminalize it.

Families are choosing to give birth at home and they have a right to do so. The state of Mississippi has a responsibility to provide a system for verifying competency and filing a grievance. Mississippi lawmakers must address this public safety issue by requiring midwives to be trained and experienced in out of hospital birth.

Currently, 27 states require that midwives attending out of hospital birth obtain the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential and Mississippi needs to do the same. CPMs undergo rigorous educational and training process including a clinical internship and a national board exam. It is the only certification that requires training in out of hospital birth.

Mississippi Friends of Midwives is a grass roots consumer organization dedicated to supporting and promoting midwifery as a safe and legal childbirth option for women and families throughout the state of Mississippi.

Recent Signatures

Protect Homebirthing Families in Mississippi

Dear Mississippi Legislator

Please enact legislation requiring direct entry midwives have verifiable training and experience in out of hospital birth.

Each year, more and more families in Mississippi are choosing to birth at home for deeply personal, religious and financial reasons. Under current law, anyone can practice midwifery in Mississippi regardless of training or experience. However, surrounding states, such as Louisiana and Tennessee, have licensing requirements. This has made Mississippi a "safe haven" for unsafe midwives fleeing states where they are not authorized to practice.

Families are choosing to give birth at home and they have a right to do so. The state of Mississippi has a responsibility to provide a system for those families to verify competency and, if needed, file a grievance. Mississippi lawmakers must address this urgent public safety issue by requiring midwives to be trained and experienced in out of hospital birth.

Currently, 27 states require that midwives attending out of hospital birth obtain the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential and Mississippi needs to do the same. CPMs undergo rigorous educational and training process including a clinical internship and a national board exam. It is the only certification that requires training in out of hospital birth.

Mississippi families need legislation to prevent unsafe midwives from "setting up shop" in our state.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries