Nebraska Friends of Midwives came together in the fall of 2004 as a loosely organized, small group of women who were concerned about the lack of access to midwifery care in the state and alarmed by trends in women’s health such as skyrocketing c-section rates and increasingly interventive hospital care. These women wanted to spread the message about the Midwives Model of Care to families in Nebraska and to see that women had access to this type of care.

The legal climate in Nebraska has been historically problematic for midwives. It was only in 1984 that Certified Nurse Midwives even became a legal option for women in hospitals. The law passed was extremely restrictive for CNMs as they were limited in their scope of practice to a role far more narrow than what their education and training is designed to prepare them for. The law specifically forbids CNMs from attending home births. Independent Midwives (Certified Professional Midwives, direct-entry or lay midwives) are not specifically prohibited from practicing by legal statute or judicial interpretation, but one midwife was prosecuted (and acquitted) in the early 1990s and more recently many Midwives were issued “Cease and Desist” orders from the state. The practice of Midwives is legally perilous, at best.

While homebirth is certainly an important issue for this group, we would like to see that the Midwives Model of Care is available to any Nebraska woman in the setting of her choice, be it hospital, birth center (the only one which exists in our state is unable to open because its owner cannot find a doctor to sign on) or home. One of our primary missions is to educate women about this model of health care. Women who employ midwives enjoy personalized care from pregnancy through postpartum with less risk of interventions and unwanted outcomes such as instrument assisted delivery and c-section. Groups such as the American Public Health Association and the Maternity Center Association, support the principles of the Midwives Model of Care.

In 2005, two pieces of legislation were presented to the Health and Human Services Committee of the Nebraska Unicameral. One bill sought to expand the scope of practice for Certified Nurse Midwives. The second bill would have established a legal framework of licensure and regulation under which non-nurse midwives could openly practice. Members of our organization testified in support of the proposals at public hearings. Unfortunately, the legislation faced stiff opposition from the Nebraska medical establishment and did not make it any further than the committee.

In the winter of 2005, our small group became more formally organized at a successful and productive meeting in Kearney, Nebraska. Kearney was chosen as a central location to hold statewide meetings on a semi-annual basis. At the meeting, we elected officers, formed committees and discussed ideas for regional groups and local advocacy efforts. We are currently focusing on possible legislation in 2008, increasing membership, establishing regional groups and organizing our committees. We are optimistic about the direction of our group and the future of midwifery in our state!