The Big Push for Midwives Campaign is the first initiative of the National Birth Policy Coalition (NBPC),
which was created when a group of birth activists, consumers and midwives met in Chicago in early
November 2007 for a summit. The intent of the meeting was to discuss opportunities for coordinating
broad efforts related to increasing access to the Midwives Model of Care and supporting legislative
initiatives to this end. Before the summit adjourned, those individuals present unanimously endorsed
the creation of an entity they named the National Birth Policy Coalition (NBPC). The NBPC has since
coalesced around the following organizing statement:
"Increasing access to the Midwives Model of Care in all settings is essential to the health and
well-being of childbearing women and their babies. The National Birth Policy Coalition supports
legislative initiatives that promote the autonomous practice of Certified Professional Midwives
and Certified Nurse-Midwives, and that ensure the availability of safe, evidence-based care during
pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum."
The NBPC has found broad endorsement of its organizing statement. Individuals at the Chicago
meeting went back to their respective organizations to seek official approval. To date, the NBPC
has support from all of the organizations listed in the sidebar.
If your organization would like to endorse the NBPC Organizing Statement, please
email your organization name
and Web site address with "NBPC Endorsement" in the subject line. You may also include a specific statement
in support of the NBPC and its efforts to be posted online if you like.