Birth Options Alliance

The latest on HB 1407, Birth Options Preservation Act

In order to pass the house, the bill was amended to be the Birth Options Preservation STUDY, which calls for a task force made up specifically of members of the Board of Nursing, the Board of Physicians, and the Maryland Chapter of ACNM to convene on June 15 and to meet over the summer to find an "alternative to the existing requirement for a physician-signed practice agreement." The purpose of this amendment was to enable the opposing factions to come to consensus about an arrangement that everyone can live with.

The bill passed as amended in the House, and then in the Senate, and was signed into law by the Governor.

So, what happens next is one of three things:

The task force will find language they can agree on to change the regulation, no legislation will be required, and the regulation will be changed, OR
The task force will come to consensus on a bill to change the regulation by changing the law, and the bill will pass unanimously in the next session because there will be no opposition, OR
The task force will be unable to reach consensus, and we will re-introduce the original bill in January, and it will pass, because we had enough support to pass it last session, but the chair of the committee wanted consensus because he didn't want an ongoing adversarial relationship between the opposing factions.

What we are unwilling to compromise on is that whatever is decided, it MUST provide for ANY QUALIFIED CNM to be able to practice in Maryland, without a doctor's permission, as long as she abides by the ACNM's Standards for the Practice of Midwifery (which require us to have a plan for consultation, collaboration and referral, but do not require a physician's signature). What we have going for us:

Our champion, Del. Heather Mizeur
The new Director of the Board of Nursing, Pat Noble, is on our side!
The opposition could clearly see that our bill had the support it needed, so this is their last chance to actually have some input on the regulation or law. Knowing this, they will probably by willing to compromise in some way.

Mairi Breen Rothman, CNM, who is the ACNM Maryland Chapter's Legislative Liaison, will be working with the task force, and will keep us updated as the summer study progresses.