HB178 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike Ball

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Midwives, State Board of Midwifery, established, licensure and regulation, penalties, Secs. 34-19-11 to 34-19-19, inclusive, added; Secs. 22-9A-7, 34-43-3 am'd; Secs. 34-19-2 to 34-19-10, inclusive, repealed

Summary

HB178 would create a State Board of Midwifery to license and regulate midwives, update birth-record requirements, and set rules and penalties for the practice of midwifery in Alabama.

What This Bill Does

It establishes a seven-member State Board of Midwifery to license practitioners, set fees, and enforce rules; it defines licensure requirements, continuing education, and disciplinary actions. It defines midwifery as primary maternity care for low-risk pregnancies (not medicine) and prohibits unlicensed practice, with certain professional exemptions. It requires licensed midwives to obtain informed consent, file birth certificates for births, and develop emergency care plans, while outlining safety restrictions and liability protections for physicians, nurses, and hospitals involved with midwifery care. It repeals the old midwifery laws it replaces, updates birth-certificate procedures, and clarifies local-funding considerations with immediate effectiveness.

Who It Affects

• Aspiring and practicing midwives in Alabama: must be licensed by the new State Board of Midwifery, follow board rules, pay licensing and renewal fees, complete continuing education, and may be subject to disciplinary actions.
• Pregnant people seeking midwifery care and their newborns: will receive regulated midwifery services, require written informed consent, have an emergency care plan, and have birth certificates filed by the midwife; they are also covered by liability protections for collaborating health professionals in certain circumstances.

Key Provisions

• Creates the State Board of Midwifery with seven members (four certified professional midwives, one physician, two individuals who have used midwifery services) and details term lengths and meetings.
• Defines Licensed Midwife and Midwifery, sets licensing procedures, fees, and licenses valid for 24 months; establishes continuing education requirements.
• Promotes independent practice, restricts midwives from administering epidurals, narcotics, forceps or vacuum, abortions, or Cesarean sections, and outlines allowed scope of practice and risk assessment.
• Requires written informed consent before services, discloses license status and qualifications to clients, and requires midwives to file birth certificates for each birth.
• Requires emergency care plans for each client and post-delivery duties, including eye ointment and newborn health screenings instructions.
• Provides liability protections for physicians, nurses, hospitals, and their employees involved with licensed midwives; limits vicarious liability and clarifies immunity in emergencies.
• Authorizes the board to discipline licensees, including suspending or revoking licenses and imposing fines up to $1,000 per violation; maintains a public licensure list.
• Repeals existing midwifery statutes (34-19-2 to 34-19-10) and amends birth-record statutes (22-9A-7) and massage-therapy-related definitions (34-43-3) as part of the overhaul.
• Subjects the board to the Sunset Law with periodic renewals and states the act is effective immediately while noting required local-funding exemptions under Amendment 621.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Midwives