State by State Legal Status

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) are licensed to practice and write prescriptions in all 50 states. How independently CNMs can practice and how widely available they are depends on each states rules regarding whether they have to be under the supervision or have a collaborative agreement with a physician. See the American College of Nurse-Midwives site for a state by state breakdown of CNM regulations.

Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) have made significant progress in the last few years achieving state licensure. Listed below are several sources that list the legal status of CPMs in the US. Note that several of these sources list the number of licensed or regulated states differently.  There are states where its theoretically possible to get a license but factually impossible. So some of the lists below will include all places where regulations exist to license CPMs and other's only list states where its actually occurring. 

NACPM Legal Recognition Chart
Big Push Map of CPM Legal Status by State 
MANA Legal Status of Direct-Entry Midwives Chart 
WashLaw directory to locate state government websites, legislators, statutes and more. 

CfM advocates for licensure of CPMs in all 50 states and US territories.  Licensure increases access to CPMs, in some states to third- party reimbursement by insurance or Medicaid, and is an important step in including CPMs in the system of care in a community. Licensure also provides a route for public accountability that protects consumers. For more on the importance of licensure please read NARM's statement.