A Landmark Policy for Community Midwifery

This article traces how a diverse Massachusetts coalition of midwives, birth centers, public health professionals, advocates, physicians, and families secured the state’s 2024 maternal health omnibus law. It describes decades of restrictive policy, maternity-unit and birth-center closures, racial inequities, and growing demand for community birth. Strategic coalition building reframed midwifery access as a statewide maternal health, equity, and reproductive justice priority. The law modernized birth-center regulations, created a certified professional midwife licensure pathway, improved Medicaid reimbursement, and expanded related supports. The authors emphasize protecting midwife autonomy, sustaining workforce diversity, funding implementation, and continuing community-informed oversight to achieve lasting system change.