Supporting the recognition of March 14, 2026, as "Black Midwives Day" and the longstanding and invaluable contributions of Black midwives to maternal and infant health in the United States.
H. Res. 1120 is a nonbinding House resolution that supports recognizing March 14, 2026, as “Black Midwives Day” and honors the historical and ongoing contributions of Black midwives to maternal and infant health in the United States. The resolution frames the observance as a day of awareness, activism, education, and community building focused on Black maternal health, the maternity care desert crisis, and the role of midwifery in improving outcomes for mothers and infants.
The resolution includes extensive findings describing disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity, especially for Black women, and argues that midwife-led care can reduce interventions, lower cesarean and preterm birth rates, improve outcomes, and expand access to culturally congruent care. It also emphasizes structural racism, gender oppression, and social determinants of health as drivers of inequity, and cites international human rights bodies that have urged the United States to remove barriers to midwifery and improve equitable reproductive health care.
In its operative language, the resolution encourages federal, state, and local governments to diversify the perinatal workforce, increase funding for Black midwife education and mentorship, remove barriers to Black preceptors, recognize midwives across training pathways, authorize autonomous practice to the extent of training, support Medicaid and TRICARE coverage for midwifery care, and decriminalize midwifery in home, birth center, clinic, and other settings. Because it is a resolution, it does not itself change statutory law or create enforceable rights, but it signals congressional support for policy changes affecting maternal health, licensure, reimbursement, and scope of practice.
The general sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of Black midwives and of expanding access to community-based, culturally responsive maternal care. The resolution presents Black midwifery as a solution to maternal and infant health disparities and as part of broader reproductive justice and birth justice efforts. No committee debate or recorded votes are provided, so there is no documented opposition in the available materials.
The main points of contention implied by the resolution are the same issues it seeks to address: state criminalization or overregulation of direct-entry midwives, restrictions on autonomous practice, accreditation barriers, and limited insurance coverage. The resolution’s call to decriminalize and expand midwifery pathways suggests that some stakeholders or jurisdictions may resist broader scope-of-practice authority, while supporters include the sponsors, Black maternal health advocates, midwives, and groups seeking to reduce racial disparities in maternal outcomes.
This resolution does not amend state law or federal statute, but it urges policy changes that could affect state licensing, scope-of-practice rules, Medicaid and TRICARE reimbursement, and criminal or regulatory treatment of midwifery. It specifically encourages governments to support Black midwife training pipelines, remove barriers to preceptorship and accreditation, recognize multiple training pathways, and allow autonomous practice and care in home, birth center, clinic, and similar settings. The practical impact is primarily symbolic and agenda-setting, but it could influence future legislation, agency policy, and funding decisions affecting midwives, pregnant people, and maternal health systems.
The overall sentiment is strongly favorable and celebratory toward Black midwives and their role in improving maternal and infant health. The resolution is framed around recognition, equity, and health justice, with repeated emphasis on reducing racial disparities and expanding access to culturally congruent care. No votes or committee remarks are available, so there is no evidence of formal opposition in the provided record.
The bill’s most notable areas of contention are likely to be scope of practice, licensure, and regulation of midwifery, especially for direct-entry midwives and autonomous practice. The resolution explicitly criticizes criminalization and overregulation in some states, which suggests disagreement with state-level restrictions and with any stakeholders who favor tighter medical oversight or narrower training-pathway recognition. Another likely point of debate is reimbursement and coverage, including whether Medicaid and TRICARE should pay for midwifery services across all training pathways.