The Quiet War on Birth: Midwifery regulation could be the next abortion battleground

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.

Many people think the fight for life ended when Roe v. Wade was overturned. It didn’t… It simply changed tactics.

Today, abortion expansion is no longer just being pushed loudly through abortion bills. It is being ushered in quietly through healthcare regulation, especially through the growing regulation, medicalization, and state control of midwifery.

I am a Traditional Midwife. I serve every family with love, compassion, dedication, and equality. I believe birth is sacred. I believe families have a God-given right to choose where, how, and with whom they bring their babies into the world.

And I believe, without apology, that the government has no place dictating that choice.

For years, within professional conferences, trainings, and policy spaces, there have been open conversations, often whispered and sometimes celebrated, about integrating abortion “care” and drugs into midwifery care. Those of us inside the midwifery world have seen this coming.

What we are seeing now in state legislatures is not a coincidence. It is the next chapter.

Arizona - Building the Infrastructure Without Saying the 'A' Word:

Arizona’s HB 2251 does not say “abortion.” However, it...

• expands midwives’ authority to prescribe and dispense medications, and explicitly names misoprostol (the second drug in the abortion pill regimen, which does have other uses)

• aligns midwifery education with national organizations that openly support abortion access

• shifts power away from voters and legislators into advisory boards and administrative rulemaking

This is how scope expansion works. First, authority is expanded. Then, oversight is loosened. Then committees quietly decide what comes next.

Abortion drugs are prescription drugs. Once midwives are authorized to broadly dispense medications, adding mifepristone and misoprostol becomes a regulatory adjustment, not a moral debate.

With abortion already protected in Arizona law, the question is no longer whether abortion is legal. The question becomes who is allowed to provide it.

HB 2251 lays the groundwork without forcing lawmakers to ever say it out loud.

Mississippi - A Pro-Life State Must Not Sleep Through This:

Mississippi is a pro-life stronghold. It is one of the few states that has drawn a clear line in defense of unborn life. The current Mississippi Code separates the practice of midwifery and the practice of medicine. 

That makes it a target.

For several years, Mississippi lawmakers have been asked to:

• regulate the practice of midwifery

• create state midwifery boards

• expand independent practice

• further integrate midwives into insurance-driven medical systems

All of this is framed as access, safety, and modernization.

History is clear. When a profession is fully absorbed into a centralized regulatory framework, scope expansion always follows.

National midwifery and reproductive health organizations have been explicit for years. Medication abortion is something they believe should be considered basic reproductive healthcare. Once the infrastructure exists, the pressure to conform is relentless.

Mississippi’s laws have protected life from the front door. This is an attempt to come through the side door.

The Strategy:

'Medication abortion' (the abortion pill) is perfectly suited to this approach.

It requires no surgery, no clinic, and no operating room.

Just pills that can be prescribed quietly. Pills framed as early pregnancy care. Pills that can be dispensed in offices and even homes. Pills that allow abortion to expand without reopening the legislative battle many Americans think is over.

Within liberal midwifery spaces, the argument is simple: If midwives are trusted with pregnancy, then why not abortion drugs?

That framing turns conscience into discrimination and resistance into ideology.

That is why scope-of-practice laws matter so deeply. They do not just define today’s care. They define tomorrow’s battle.

Many families choose Traditional Midwives because they want care rooted in life, faith, and relationship, not bureaucracy, politics, or profit.

• They deserve transparency.

• They deserve to know whether the care model they are choosing aligns with their values.

• They deserve to choose where and with whom they give birth to their babies.

As scopes blur and regulations shift, women may find themselves forced inside systems that no longer reflect the life-affirming, faith based care they sought in the first place.

That is NOT choice. That is deception.

The Bottom Line:

Roe v. Wade may be gone, but the fight for life is far from finished.

This is the next chapter. It is quieter. It is more technical. And its success depends on people not paying attention.

Birth belongs to families, NOT the state. Midwifery belongs to the people, not regulatory boards. And life is worth defending at every stage, in every arena.

We must be vigilant. We must be discerning. And we must refuse to surrender birth one regulation at a time.