SB238 Summary

• Establishes a State Board of Midwifery consisting of seven members appointed by the Governor, including four certified professional midwives, one physician, and two consumer representatives, with staggered terms of 1-4 years.

• Permits licensed midwives (LM) to practice maternity care for low-risk pregnancies in accordance with their training and experience, excluding procedures such as epidurals, narcotic anesthesia, forceps use, abortion induction, and cesarean sections.

• Requires licensed midwives to obtain informed consent from clients before providing services, including disclosure of the midwife's credentials, education, services offered, and emergency care procedures.

• Makes it a Class C misdemeanor for unlicensed persons to practice midwifery for compensation, with exceptions for nurse midwives, trainees assisting licensed midwives, and family members providing gratuitous childbirth assistance.

• Grants the board authority to set licensure fees (valid for 24 months), impose administrative fines up to $500 per violation, and suspend or revoke licenses for misconduct, credential revocation, or scope of practice violations; board is subject to Alabama Sunset Law with termination date of October 1, 2014.