On Monday, June 10, Indigenous Hawai’ian midwives took the witness stand in a humble Honolulu courtroom, testifying for the very first time in opposition of Hawai’i’s Midwifery Restriction Law.
The law, passed in 2019, regulates midwifery care by mandating a specific state license for anyone who provides information, advice or assistance during a pregnancy, birth or the postpartum period. As a result, Indigenous midwives who have long served their rural communities face significant fines and jail time for providing traditional, apprentice-based care that aligns with and protects customary Hawai’ian birth practices.
