House Bill 129, set to be discussed in the upcoming legislative session beginning Jan. 13, proposes allowing licensed midwives in Alabama to both order and administer state-mandated newborn screening tests. such as urinalysis and blood glucose testing. This is a change midwives have been advocating for since last years’ legislative session.
Currently, midwives must ensure these tests are conducted by another provider, which causes a delay in the process as families have to see a doctor to have them done. The bill aims to prevent these delays in testing for babies born at home or in non-hospital settings while maintaining existing safety requirements. It does not expand midwives’ practice locations or grant them authority to diagnose or treat medical conditions…