Yesterday, my three boys and I were up before dawn to join a group from Texans for Midwifery at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. There, we visited with lawmakers (or their aides/assistants), even taking the little ones into the offices for a rare chance to see democracy in action. We capped off the day with plenty of play on the Capitol lawns, lunch, and a visit to a well-renowned coffee shop.
Texans for Midwifery organizes these visiting days every two years, and this year is especially important with midwifery legislation on the table. House Bill 1107 proposes that Advanced Practice Nurses be allowed to write prescriptions under their own license. Currently, Advanced Practice Nurses such as Certified Nurse Midwives must work with a physician to have prescriptions, even for routine items such as prenatal vitamins, written. If approved, the new law would take an extra step and extra work (not to mention potential for error) out of the system, giving CNMs the ability to order needed items for their patients.
The Austin media covered the event. The Statesman has a video filled with cute babies (too bad we had already gone out to play when they got there!), and KVUE did an interview with the woman the boys and I partnered with for our meetings. Of course, the KVUE article makes it sound like midwives only provide care where there are no other options. In reality, they're an excellent choice for all normal, healthy pregnancies, AND are a low-cost, oft-used option in low-income and rural areas.
My boys really enjoyed our day in Austin, and I was happy to have the opportunity to take them to such an important event. I hope that the group of over 150 adults and 100 children made a positive impact on how our State government will support midwifery both in this session, and in the future.
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