Black midwives are suing Southern states, claiming regulations make it harder to help patients

By: Elisha Brown

Outlets: Stateline

Published: June 2, 2026

Words: 1,523

Last Updated: 1 week, 2 days ago

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Black midwives in the South, a region rife with racial disparities in maternal health access and maternal mortality, are leading lawsuits over state regulations that they say limit their ability to provide care.

Women behind the litigation say midwives can help improve birthing outcomes in Southern states, where maternal mortality rates are higher than the overall U.S. rate, and treat low-risk pregnancies in rural and underserved areas. They turned to the courts, they said, after …

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