House committee approves bill that would restrict midwives in the state

House committee approves bill that would restrict midwives in the state

A public hearing was held in the House Health Standing Committee on a bill that, while originally designed to expand the abilities of midwives in Alabama, has been substituted and amended to explicitly bar them from performing many newborn screenings. SB87, initially introduced by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, aimed to expand the authority of licensed midwives by allowing them to administer comprehensive newborn screenings—a critical step in detec…

Alabama House committee passes contested midwife practice bill after public hearing

Johannah McDonald, a Huntsville resident, sits in a crowded House Health Committee meeting on April 23, 2025, with her daughter, Ruhama McDonald, to watched the public hearing on SB 87, which would only allow midwives to conduct the heel stick test of the newborn screening panel. An Alabama House committee Wednesday passed a bill changing the scope of practice for midwives in Alabama after a packed public hearing over the measure. As originally …