{"id":173264,"date":"2025-04-06T08:22:46","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T08:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/alabama-midwives-and-families-criticize-amendments-to-sb87-midwifery-bill\/"},"modified":"2025-04-06T08:22:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-06T08:22:46","slug":"alabama-midwives-and-families-criticize-amendments-to-sb87-midwifery-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=173264","title":{"rendered":"Alabama midwives and families criticize amendments to SB87 midwifery bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/AL\/bill\/SB87\/2025\">SB87<\/a>, a bill originally introduced by state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, was recently amended with a substitute bill brought forward by state Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia. Where the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alreporter.com\/2025\/02\/27\/senate-healthcare-committee-hears-bill-allowing-midwives-to-perform-newborn-screenings\/\">original bill<\/a> was intended to expand Alabama midwives\u2019 authority to administer newborn screenings, the amended version only allows midwives to \u201cadminister a heel lance\u201d and explicitly bars them from performing other newborn screenings.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the Alabama Midwives Alliance and a number of concerned citizens have publicly denounced SB87\u2019s substitute in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1655970011717088&amp;rdid=LpYMvZ37C6A2QewM\">video<\/a> posted to the ALMA\u2019s Facebook page. The video cuts between various Alabama mothers and families speaking out against the bill\u2019s new amendments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSB87 started as a good bill and we were excited to see it moving forward,\u201d the video opens. \u201cBut on March 20th, the Alabama Senate Health Committee added restrictive language which takes it in the wrong direction. We do not support the amended SB87 and we are urging the legislature to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMidwives play a critical role in keeping newborns safe by providing essential care, vitals, weight checks, breastfeeding support and timely newborn screenings. Without this care risk can go unnoticed until it\u2019s too late,\u201d the video continues. \u201cEvery family, no matter where they give birth, deserves safe, timely care. So why should home-birth families face delays or miss screenings? This sub bill does not solve the problem. It makes it worse. The solution is simple. In 2017, the legislature ensured Alabama midwives met national certified professional midwife standards. SB87 should stick to those standards and protect evidence-based care, not restrict it. This would also bring Alabama in line with the rest of our nation in certified professional midwifery care. Alabama families deserve the best start possible. Let\u2019s get SB87 back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an official media release, ALMA explained that they had previously tried to negotiate a different version of the bill to satisfy the concerns of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and lawmakers like Sen. Stutts. However, that substitute bill was overwritten with the current version of SB87.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrior to the passage of the sub bill on March 20, the Alabama Midwives Alliance worked with Sen. Orr and Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, to offer a different sub bill that attempted to meet in the middle with the Medical Association of the State of Alabama that read licensed midwives may \u2018order and administer\u2019 newborn screenings but also that \u2018test results shall be referred to a licensed physician or nurse practitioner for interpretation and follow-up care,&#8217;\u201d ALMA stated. \u201cInstead, the negotiated language was stripped away for the restrictive version MASA pushed through with Sen. Stutts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The release also disputed claims that licensed midwives do not have the necessary training or qualifications to administer newborn screenings or provide well-baby care.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-6\" style=\"margin: 8px auto; text-align: center; display: block; clear: both;\">\n<div class=\"zox-post-ad-wrap\"><span class=\"zox-ad-label\">Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cLicensed midwives are required by Alabama law to obtain a Certified Professional Midwife credential from the North American Registry of Midwives. All three newborn screenings are required for training and completion of the national credential required by Alabama Law,\u201d ALMA stated. \u201cMidwives are more trained at the time of obtaining licensure than a medical assistant or nurse. Registered nurses and medical assistants usually receive their first newborn screening training as on-the-floor training when hired on their unit, not in school or to obtain their certification. No training is required by their license like it is for CPMs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although newborn screenings should be performed within 24 to 48 hours after a child is born, it can be very challenging for families who choose home birth to secure an appointment with a physician within that timeframe. ALMA\u2019s representatives argue that midwives should be allowed to administer these tests in order to avoid delays in what could be life-saving screenings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese screenings exist to prevent life-threatening complications and lifelong disabilities,\u201d reads the ALMA media release. \u201cCCHD screening detects critical congenital heart defects with a handheld pulse oximetry. Newborns can seem perfectly healthy but deteriorate rapidly without immediate medical intervention. Hearing screening identifies hearing loss early, ensuring timely intervention to prevent developmental delays. Most pediatricians don\u2019t have the equipment, forcing families to scramble for a specialist, yet performed by ancillary staff at the hospitals. Blood spot testing, similar to a glucose blood drop, detects metabolic and genetic disorders, where delayed treatment can result in severe disability or death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After passing the Senate Health Committee, the amended version of SB87 now moves to be considered by the Alabama Senate at-large.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SB87, a bill originally introduced by state Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, was recently amended with a substitute bill brought forward by state Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia. Where the original bill was intended to expand Alabama midwives\u2019 authority to administer newborn screenings, the amended version only allows midwives to \u201cadminister a heel lance\u201d and explicitly bars [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11763],"tags":[33526,12750,64746,40493,6795,69294,13575,69292,51210,51211,69293,69295],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-173264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alabama","tag-2025-legislative-session","tag-alabama","tag-alabama-midwives-alliance","tag-amendments","tag-bill","tag-criticize","tag-families","tag-medical-association-of-the-state-of-alabama","tag-midwifery","tag-midwives","tag-newborn-screenings","tag-sb87"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Alabama midwives and families criticize amendments to SB87 midwifery bill - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=173264\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alabama midwives and families criticize amendments to SB87 midwifery bill - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SB87, a bill originally introduced by state Sen. 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