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Committee considers doula, hospital transfer and midwife licensing changes amid concerns about consent and integration
Summary
The Health and Government Operations Committee considered bills to require obstetric facilities to publish birthing policies and to revise licensed direct-entry midwife rules, with supporters arguing transparency and clearer transfer plans would improve outcomes and opponents asking for technical fixes.
Delegates and witnesses told the Health and Government Operations Committee that clearer hospital policies on doulas, informed consent, and transfer procedures could reduce conflict and improve outcomes for birthing families. The committee heard House Bill 12-51 (the Doula and Birth Policy Transparency Act) and House Bill 8-38 (revisions and sunset extension for licensed direct-entry midwives).
Nut graf: Supporters — midwives, doulas, patient-advocacy groups and some hospital representatives — framed the bills as transparency and integration measures that would require hospitals to post obstetric policies, adopt transfer-of-care procedures for out-of-hospital births, and ensure doulas may attend births alongside family support. Opponents raised questions about scope, exceptions for emergencies, and practical implementation for hospitals and freestanding birth centers.
What HB 12-51…
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