Midwife measure is killed by panel

The question of whether direct-entry midwives would be able to obtain certification to legally ply their trade was answered Wednesday.

No.

HB227, which would have added direct-entry midwifery to the list of medical professions overseen by the Division of Occupational and Professional licensing, was killed by a 4-2 vote in the Senate Business and Labor Standing Committee.

"I believe home birth is an acceptable and appropriate practice, but there are too many problems with this particular bill, in my opinion," said Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Salt Lake.

Those problems included giving direct-entry midwives the ability to administer certain drugs, as licensed nurse midwives can. Although the Utah Medical Practices Act outlawed midwifery in 1993, sponsoring Rep. Jackie Biskupski, D-Salt Lake, told the committee that hasn't been a deterrent for direct-entry midwives.

"This bill does not put direct-entry midwives on equal ground with doctors. They've been practicing in Utah for the last 150 years, including over the past 10 when it has been illegal. Midwives in our state are safe," she said.

But some in the medical profession felt the approximately 1,350 hours of clinical training the bill would make mandatory for midwives to receive their license was inadequate.

"I'm concerned about the level of training and experience," said obstetrician and gynecologist Regula Burki.

Although 18 other states have laws similar to those HB227 would have established, Utah Nurses' Association spokesman Jeremy Fotheringham said the measure was too inconsistent for his organization to support.

"The midwives get to pick whether they want to get certified or not, and that's a problem," he said.

But proponents of the measure viewed it differently.

"I'm not sure when in history the birthing process switched from a natural occurrence to an illness that needs to be treated. If I was a laboring mother, I'd much rather have a midwife present than an EMT," paramedic Kerry Kemp said.

Although the bill won't have the chance to be signed into law this legislative session, registered nurse and midwife Holly Richardson had a promise for the committee.

"We will keep coming back year after year after year and do whatever it takes to make our practice legal," she said.

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E-mail: abenson@desnews.com