Recognizing the longstanding and invaluable contributions of Black midwives to maternal and infant health in the United States.
H. Res. 231 is a nonbinding House resolution that recognizes the contributions of Black midwives to maternal and infant health in the United States and designates March 14, 2025, as “Black Midwives Day.” The resolution frames Black midwifery as central to improving maternal outcomes, especially in the context of the nation’s maternal mortality crisis, maternity care deserts, and persistent racial disparities affecting Black birthing people. It emphasizes that midwife-led care can improve outcomes, reduce interventions, and expand access to culturally competent, community-based care.
The resolution also highlights the historical suppression and criminalization of Black and direct-entry midwives, linking those practices to present-day inequities in maternal and infant health. It calls attention to structural racism, gender oppression, and barriers to respectful care, and it cites international human rights concerns about U.S. maternal health disparities. The measure urges broader recognition of midwifery across training pathways and supports the use of midwives in homes, birth centers, clinics, hospitals, and other care settings.
In its operative clauses, the resolution encourages federal, state, and local governments to diversify the perinatal workforce, increase access to culturally congruent maternal care, and support education, training, mentorship, and financial pathways for Black midwives and preceptors. It also encourages authorization of autonomous practice for midwives to the extent of their training, and it promotes Medicaid and TRICARE coverage for maternity care provided by midwives of all training pathways. The resolution further calls for efforts to destigmatize and decriminalize midwifery in a pregnant person’s setting of choice.
The bill’s legal impact is limited because it is a resolution of recognition and encouragement rather than a statute that directly changes state or federal law. However, it signals congressional support for policy changes affecting licensure, scope of practice, reimbursement, and workforce development in maternal health, and it could influence future legislation, agency action, or state-level reforms related to midwifery and maternal care access.
The overall sentiment is strongly supportive and celebratory, with the resolution presenting Black midwives as essential to addressing maternal and infant health disparities. The main points of contention are implicit rather than explicit: the resolution endorses autonomous practice, broader recognition of multiple midwifery training pathways, and decriminalization of some midwifery models, positions that may conflict with more restrictive licensing or medical-oversight approaches. No votes or committee debate were provided, so there is no recorded opposition in the available context.
This resolution does not amend the U.S. Code or directly alter state law, but it urges federal, state, and local governments to expand access to midwifery, diversify the perinatal workforce, and support culturally congruent maternal care. It specifically encourages autonomous practice for midwives, Medicaid and TRICARE coverage for midwife-provided maternity care, and efforts to remove barriers to education, accreditation, preceptorship, and practice. Its practical effect is primarily symbolic and policy-signaling, though it could influence future legislation, agency guidance, and state scope-of-practice or licensure debates affecting midwives, Black birthing families, and maternal health providers.
The sentiment around the bill is broadly positive and affirming. The resolution is framed as a recognition of Black midwives’ historical and ongoing contributions and as a response to severe maternal and infant health disparities, especially among Black birthing people. The available record shows no votes or committee testimony, so there is no documented organized opposition in the provided materials. The tone of the text is advocacy-oriented, emphasizing health equity, reproductive justice, and community-based care.
The main areas of potential contention are the resolution’s support for autonomous practice, recognition of all midwifery training pathways, and calls to decriminalize or reduce restrictions on midwifery in home, birth center, clinic, and similar settings. These positions may be disputed by stakeholders who favor tighter medical oversight, narrower licensure standards, or restrictions on direct-entry midwifery. The resolution also implicitly challenges existing state regulatory regimes and reimbursement structures, which could concern medical associations, licensing boards, or policymakers wary of expanding scope of practice. No specific opposition is recorded in the provided committee or vote history.