Home births make up a small percentage of all births in the U.S., but during the pandemic, they increased dramatically.

Many states require licenses for non-nurse midwives but more than a dozen — including Iowa — don’t.

The Iowa legislature is considering whether to establish a licensing board for midwives who do home births but many hospitals and health care providers are against the move.

Natalie Krebs of Side Effects Public Media reports.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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