Abstract
“In our nation . . . more women are facing death because of childbirth than in any other developed nation.” “Black women are three times more likely to die in connection with childbirth . . . Native women twice as likely . . . [and] rural women are one and a half times more likely to die,” warned Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizing the country’s maternal health crisis. Despite efforts to improve maternal health, access to safe and effective care remains uneven. In the United States, there is confusion among legal and healthcare professionals regarding the different types of midwives which can hinder the proper recognition and utilization of midwifery services. This issue is compounded by highly fragmented midwifery regulation, with each state establishing its own statutes and oversight mechanisms, further restricting access to midwifery care. Given the unanimous agreement in the literature that access to midwifery care leads to safer births and healthier mothers, the continued fragmentation of midwifery regulation in the United States demands closer scrutiny.
Recommended Citation
Miranda Martin,
Birthing Inequality: How U.S. Midwifery Laws Perpetuate Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities,
70
St. Louis U. L.J.
(2026).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol70/iss3/10