Advocacy

NARM is dedicated to advancing the profession of midwifery by supporting legal recognition at the state and federal level. To aid in the ef­forts to educate the public and policy makers regarding the pur­pose and advantages of CPM licensure at the state level, NARM has issued the following Statement on Licensure:

Download the full statement

Midwives are the key to increasing access to effective maternity care:

• The American Public Health Association and the World Health Organization recommends midwives as the primary maternity care providers for the majority of women
• The Millbank Report: Evidence-Based Maternity Care recognizes the CPM as the benchmark for low intervention and good outcomes
• Nations with the lowest infant mortality employ midwives as the primary maternity care providers for the majority of women
• Mounting evidence supports the value and cost-savings potential of midwifery care, according to a report issued by the Washington Department of Health in 2010
• Birth centers and planned home births have been shown to be safe for low-risk women, with demonstrated potential to significantly reduce costs to the system
• CPMs are currently legally recognized in 26 states and own approximately half of the birth centers in the U.S.

NARM supports the work of midwifery advocates on the state and national level. Please contact us to be added to the growing list of organizations working for increased access to CPMs.

National Advocacy Efforts for the CPM Credential:

Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
The Midwives Alliance of North America is a professional organization for all midwives, recognizing the diversity of educational backgrounds and practice styles within the profession. MANA’s goal is to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thereby improving the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities. The guiding principles of practice for CPMs are based on the MANA Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice, approved in 1994.

National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
The National Association of Certified Professional Midwives is a professional organization for CPMs dedicated to maximizing the potential of the Certified Professional Midwife credential, and the midwives who hold it, in order to increase the number of midwives available to adequately meet the needs of childbearing women. NACPM strives to ensure that CPMs will achieve their appropriate place in the delivery of maternity care in the United States

The MAMA Campaign
The Midwives and Mothers in Action (MAMA) Campaign is a collaborative effort of the following organizations the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM), Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), Citizens for Midwifery (CfM), International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), and the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC).
The MAMA Campaign is working to gain federal recognition of Certified Professional Midwives so that women and families will have increased access to quality, affordable maternity care in the settings of their choice.

The Big Push for Midwives Campaign
The Big Push for Midwives represents tens of thousands of grassroots advocates in the United States who support expanding access to Certified Professional Midwives and out-of-hospital maternity care.
The mission of The Big Push for Midwives is to educate state and national policymakers about the reduced costs and improved outcomes associated with out-of-hospital maternity care and to advocate for expanding access to the services of Certified Professional Midwives, who are specially trained to provide it.

Citizens for Midwifery
Citizens for Midwifery is a national consumer based organization that promotes the Midwives Model of Care– maternity care that is safe, respectful, family-centered, health promoting, and cost effective. Citizens for Midwifery’s mission is to see that the Midwives Model of Care is available to all childbearing women and universally recognized as the best kind of care for pregnancy and birth.

The American Association of Birth Centers (AABC)
The American Association of Birth Centers is a non-profit membership organization founded by Childbirth Connection (formerly the Maternity Center Association).
For 25 years, the American Association of Birth Centers has been the nation’s most comprehensive resource on birth centers. AABC has built a solid foundation for growth in birth centers, many of which are owned, operated and staffed by Certified Professional Midwives.

International Center for Traditional Childbearing
The International Center for Traditional Childbearing, Inc. (ICTC) is a non-profit African centered organization located in Portland, Oregon. ICTC was created to promote the health of women and their families and to train Black women aspiring to become midwives. They provide recruitment, education, and support to those desiring to serve their community.

What is evidenced-based research? Certified Professional Midwives provide care that is based in the tenants of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). EBP is the integration of clinical expertise, patient values, and the best research evidence into the decision making process for patient care. Clinical expertise refers to the clinician’s cumulated experience, education and clinical skills. The patient …

NARM Workshops NARM can offer a variety of workshops to be presented at state midwifery association meetings or regional conferences. Only CPMs may attend the Qualified Evaluator workshop or the Test Writing workshop; all midwives, students, and consumers are welcome at other workshops. There is a $75 fee for the Qualified Evaluator workshop, but no …

CPM Issue Brief
Millbank Report: Evidence Based Maternity Care
APHA Resolution
NARM Brochure
Planning for Legislation Handbook
Citizens for Midwifery fact sheets
The Big Push for Midwives fact sheets