Dear Ms. True:
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While McClain’s and Joravsky’s articles are unrelated, there is a central theme, i.e., the barriers women in Illinois face when searching for excellent maternity care. As Tiffany McClain reported, the benefits of midwifery care are recognized and endorsed by the American Public Health Association and the World Health Organization, yet families in Illinois find it increasingly more difficult to find such care. Recently our community has learned of another closing. Illinois Masonic hospital has announced the closing of its hospital-based alternative birthing center after 25 years of service.
In addition to the demise of hospital-based midwifery programs, the law further limits access to the Midwives Model of Care. Illinois law effectively prohibits the existence of freestanding birth centers, and Illinois law does not recognize the certified professional midwife (CPM) credential or the certified midwife (CM) credential. The North American Registry of Midwives administers the CPM credential. The CM credential is administered by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Both are nationally certified credentials for direct-entry midwives. For decades, Illinois consumer activists unsuccessfully have lobbied for legislative change that would enable direct-entry midwives to practice. Even with the support of prominent national and international public health organizations, the voices of the consumers have been ineffective against opposition from the Illinois State Medical Society.
