A bill that would license and regulate certified professional midwives in Iowa passed unanimously through a subcommittee Tuesday. Iowa is one of 14 states where certified professional midwives are not licensed or regulated. Unlike certified nurse midwives, who primarily practice in hospitals, certified professional midwives specialize in births that occur in homes and stand-alone birthing centers and do not require a nursing credential or graduate degree in midwifery. Instead, certified professional midwives are direct-entry, and complete a multiyear program through the North American Registry of Midwives. HSB 123, which was proposed by Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, would require those practicing midwifery in Iowa to obtain a license to practice and would create a board of midwifery to regulate the practice. Advocates for midwife licensure have pushed for decades to have licensed certified professional midwives in the state, arguing that doing so would help drive down maternal mortality rates and create more maternal care options for parents in an era where there’s a shortage of birthing units. The bill now moves to a full vote in the House State Government Committee. (Dive deeper by reading the following stories in Fearless: 20 years of decline: Iowa’s dwindling birthing units,Guest Opinion: Iowans deserve access to midwifery model of care  and How three Iowans are working to drive down the Black maternal mortality rate.)