Study highlights growth of state midwifery practice policies across rural and urban areas

 A study by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center found that between 2007 and 2023, the percentage of midwife-attended births rose in both rural and urban settings and was higher in states that had full midwifery practice authority policies. The study, supported by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In 2007, 13 states and Washington, D.C., had full practice authority policies. From 2008 to 2023, 20 more states passed such policies. Overall, there was growth during the study period among states without full practice authority policies, states that passed policies in 2007 or earlier, and states that passed policies during the study period.