A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING MAY 5TH AS INTERNATIONAL MIDWIVES DAY AND HONORING THE LEGACY AND IMPORTANCE OF MIDWIVES IN DELAWARE.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Berry & Sen. Pinkney

Reps. Bolden, Burns, Gorman, Heffernan, Hilovsky, Morrison, Kamela Smith; Sens. Huxtable, Pettyjohn, Richardson, Sokola, Hoffner

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 116

A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING MAY 5TH AS INTERNATIONAL MIDWIVES DAY AND HONORING THE LEGACY AND IMPORTANCE OF MIDWIVES IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, International Midwives Day is observed annually on May 5th to recognize and celebrate the essential role of midwives in providing care, support, and advocacy for birthing people and families across the world; and

WHEREAS, Delaware continues to face significant maternal health challenges, including disparities that disproportionately impact Black women and birthing people, who experience higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to their white counterparts; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has a limited number of practicing midwives and a shortage of accessible, community-based birthing options, contributing to gaps in care, particularly in underserved communities; and

WHEREAS, midwives are highly trained healthcare professionals who provide holistic, culturally responsive, and evidence-based care throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, leading to improved outcomes such as lower cesarean rates, fewer unnecessary interventions, and increased patient satisfaction; and

WHEREAS, expanding access to midwifery care is recognized as a key strategy in addressing maternal health disparities and improving outcomes for families across Delaware; and

WHEREAS, Black midwives have a long and powerful legacy rooted in community-based care, healing traditions, and resistance, including the historic contributions of “granny midwives” who served generations of Black families despite systemic racism and exclusion from formal medical systems; and

WHEREAS, the erasure and marginalization of Black midwives through discriminatory policies, overregulation, and the medicalization of birth have contributed to the current maternal health crisis; and

WHEREAS, investing in midwives—particularly Black midwives and community-based birthworkers—is essential to restoring trust, improving care, and advancing birth justice in Delaware; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has taken steps to improve maternal health outcomes, including expanding coverage for doula services under Medicaid, but must continue to build a comprehensive, inclusive maternal health system that fully integrates midwifery care.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the 153

rd

General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, recognizes May 5th as International Midwives Day and honors the contributions of midwives in Delaware and around the world.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this General Assembly celebrates and uplifts the legacy and ongoing leadership of Black midwives, acknowledging their critical role in caring for Black families and advancing reproductive justice; and affirms that midwives are essential healthcare providers and that expanding access to midwifery care is necessary to address Delaware’s maternal health disparities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this General Assembly supports policies and investments that expand midwifery education and training pipelines in Delaware; increase the number and diversity of licensed and practicing midwives; ensure equitable reimbursement, including Medicaid and private insurance coverage for midwifery services; remove unnecessary regulatory barriers that limit midwives from practicing to the full extent of their training; and support community-based and freestanding birth centers, particularly those led by and serving Black communities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The General Assembly calls on state agencies, healthcare systems, and policymakers to integrate midwifery care into Delaware’s maternal health infrastructure in a way that is accessible, culturally responsive, and community-centered; and commits to advancing reproductive justice in Delaware, ensuring that all individuals have the right to: have children, not have children, or parent their children in safe, healthy, and sustainable communities.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be shared with the Delaware Black Reproductive Justice Coalition, midwives, birthworkers, healthcare institutions, and community organizations across the state to recognize their contributions and to strengthen collective efforts toward improving maternal health outcomes.

SYNOPSIS

This House Concurrent Resolution recognizes May 5th as International Midwives Day and honors the legacy and importance of midwives in Delaware.