Alabama court case on regulating freestanding birthing centers
Date postedMay 7, 2025
An Alabama trial court has permanently blocked the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) from regulating freestanding birth centers as hospitals, a move that would have imposed stringent licensing requirements potentially hindering midwifery care in the state. The court determined that the Alabama Legislature did not authorize ADPH to oversee midwifery services in birth centers, assigning that responsibility instead to the Board of Midwifery and other professional licensing entities. This decision allows facilities like the Oasis Family Birthing Center in Birmingham and the Alabama Birth Center in Huntsville to continue operating under evidence-based standards set by the American Association of Birth Centers.