Writing to your legislators
The key to passing legislation is that every legislator must hear regularly from their own
constituents. Every home birth supporter should reach out to their friends and relatives
and ask them to write in support of licensing direct-entry midwives in Iowa.
You don't have to be a midwife or a home birth parent to support this legislation;
you just have to agree that families who have home births should have access to
trained and qualified midwives to assist them.
How to write an email:
1. Know your legislators. You can find out who your legislators are here.
2. Express your support for licensing. Put it in your own words. It doesn't have to be long.
EMAIL DO'S AND DONT'S:
DO:
- Say "Please Support Licensing Midwives" in the subject line of your email.
- Urge the recipient to support licensing Certified Professional Midwives in the body of the email.
- Say who you are. list relevant credentials (nurse, professor, etc.)
- If you are a parent who has given birth at home, or someone who wants to have a licensed midwife attend your next birth, say so!
DON'T:
- Don't say anything negative about hospital birth or hospitals or doctors. Focus on the positive things about midwives.
- Don't say "lay midwives." Refer to Certified Professional Midwives or Direct-Entry Midwives.
- Don't mention insurance or medicaid. It's not a part of this bill and mentioning it sidetracks the issue.
TALKING POINTS:
- About 500 families a year have out-of-hospital births in Iowa. We need to make sure these families have access to midwives.
- Research shows that planned out-of-hospital birth with CPMs results in outcomes equal to those for low-risk women giving birth in hospitals. (BMJ study, published 2005)
- It is in the interest of public health and safety for Iowa to license midwives so that the Iowans who choose out-of-hospital birth can have access to care providers who are skilled and accountable.
- CPMs are recognized in 26 other states, including our neighbors Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Missouri. CPMs undergo rigorous education and testing, and are the only care providers specifically trained in out-of-hospital birth.
For other talking points, see our Factsheet.
How to write a letter:
1. Know your legislators.
You can find out who your legislators are here. Letters should go to your state, not federal legislators. Whether or not you actually voted for your Representative or Senator, you are their constituent and their job is to represent YOU! As a constituent you have every right to let them know what you want them to do on any issue or bill. You do not have to be an expert or have lots of information on the situation. All you have to do is tell them what you want them to do.
2. Make it personal.
Letters to legislators should preferably be hand written, though typed and signed is suitable if it is addressed personally to the legislator.
3. Use proper formatting.
Letters should be opened properly, beginning with:
The Honorable (Senator’s name) or The Honorable (Representative’s Name).Address Dear Senator (Name) or Dear Representative (Name),Letters should be sent to the State Capitol address.
4. Keep it short and sweet.
Letters should be no longer than one page. An appropriate format is as follows:
Paragraph one: State who you are and 2-3 sentences about yourself and your ties to the community. Include thename of your city, and some personal information about how long you or your family has lived in Iowa, or what kind of business your family is in, or how many children you have, or where you go to church. If you know anything you have in common with your legislator, mention it here. Paragraph two: 2-3 sentences about why you support CPM licensure in Iowa, such as your desire to have a home birth with a licensed midwife, or that families have a right to home birth with a midwife, or Iowa families should not have to go to a neighboring state to have a midwife-assisted birth, or that midwives attending home births should be licensed, or that the state should regulate midwives like it does many other professions. Use your own words, but indicate support for licensing home birth midwives. Paragraph three: 2-3 sentences restating the main point and thanking them for their support. Ask them to vote FORa bill to license midwives, and thank them again for their service to the state of Iowa. 5. Keep in touch, and encourage others to do the same.
Keep a list of addresses of your own legislators. Send letters often, such as the occasion of your children's birthdays, or on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays. If you have a chance to visit your legislators, please go see them and talk about the bill to license midwives. It is helpful to write several times, but it is even more important for your legislator to get letters from more people, so ask your friends and relatives to write also!
Please take a moment to report your letter to FOIM. This helps our organizers keep track of which legislators have and have not received letters, and lets us know about the important work our members are doing.
Sample letters
Dear Senator Jones (or Representative Jones),
My name is Anna Smith and I am a mother of three children, all born in Iowa. My family has lived in or near Iowa
City for three generations. I am writing to ask you, as my senator, to vote in favor of a bill to license midwives. The
passage of this bill is very important to me, to my family, and to our community.
OR
As a mother who has given birth at home with midwives, I am strongly in support of a mother's right to choose where and with whom she will give birth. I had excellent midwives who provided prenatal care, stayed with me
during 18 hours of labor and birth, and visited my home three times after the birth. I could not get this kind of care in a hospital.
OR
OR
As a mother who has given birth at home with midwives, I am strongly in support of a mother's right to choose where and with whom she will give birth. I had excellent midwives who provided prenatal care, stayed with me
during 18 hours of labor and birth, and visited my home three times after the birth. I could not get this kind of care in a hospital.
OR
My family has lived in Des Moines for 5 years and are members of the Oak Grove Baptist Church. We are strong in our faith, and we support family commitment and family-centered childbirth. I had three babies in a hospital and
was satisfied with my experience, but I have met many mothers who have delivered at home with a midwife. I
believe they received excellent care from very professional midwives. It is a shame that the state does not
recognize these caregivers through licensure. It would be a benefit to our community to have licensed midwives.
Sincerely,
was satisfied with my experience, but I have met many mothers who have delivered at home with a midwife. I
believe they received excellent care from very professional midwives. It is a shame that the state does not
recognize these caregivers through licensure. It would be a benefit to our community to have licensed midwives.
Sincerely,
Meeting in person with your legislators is an important opportunity to make a lasting impression, and to discuss the issue in depth. Before setting up a meeting, make sure you are familiar with these tips for meeting with policy-makers.
Here's a sample letter you can use to request an appointment with your legislator (remember proper formatting):
Dear Representative ___ (Or Senator __)
My name is __ , and I’m writing as your constituent and as a member of Friends of Iowa Midwives. We are a statewide grassroots organization working to increase access to midwifery and out-of-hospital birth in Iowa. I'm contacting you because I'd like to discuss legislation we’d like to see introduced to license Certified Professional Midwives in Iowa. Women are increasingly seeking home births, a safe and responsible option in maternity care, and licensing CPMs is the best way to ensure that those women and their babies receive the best possible care.
I have included some information for you to consider (include a factsheet), and I’d appreciate being able to meet with you at your convenience in the upcoming weeks.
(If you know the voting record of the person you're writing to, it's nice to include a note about how CPM licensure fits in with their values.) Example: We consider choice of birthplace and care provider an essential facet of women’s reproductive freedom. As someone who shares these values, we hope you will support this effort, and look forward to following up with you soon.
Thank you for your time and your service to Iowans.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your phone number
Make sure to follow up by calling your legislator about a week after your letter is sent. Please feel free to email us if you need further guidance.
For More Information
Educational Resources from the Iowa Legislature's website
Advocacy Tools
Report your letter and get a free gift!
