State laws and the practice of lay midwifery.
Year: 1988
Type: article
Abstract: A national survey was conducted to assess the current status and characteristics of state legislation regulating the practice of lay midwives. As of July 1987, 10 states have prohibitory laws, five states have grandmother clauses authorizing practicing midwives under repealed statutes, five states have enabling laws which are not used, and 10 states explicitly permit lay midwives to practice. In the 21 remaining states, the legal status of midwives is unclear. Much of the enabling legislation restricts midwifery practice often resulting in situations similar to those in states with prohibitory laws. Given the growth of an extensive grassroots movement of lay midwives committed to quality of care, this outcome suggests that 21 states with no legislation may provide better opportunities for midwifery practice than states with enabling laws.
Authors: I H Butter, B J Kay
Institution: University of Michigan
Language: English
Subfield: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2089937366