# Nebraska remains only state banning nurse midwives from home births  
**Published:** 2026-06-30T11:30:10.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/49-states-allow-nurse-midwives-to-deliver-your-baby-inside-your-home-not-nebraska/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-remains-only-state-banning-nurse-midwives-from-home-births

Nebraska stands alone among the nation's states in prohibiting certified nurse midwives from attending home births, a distinction that advocates and some medical professionals say contradicts evidence about safe childbirth and exacerbates the state's severe maternity care shortages.

According to the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/49-states-allow-nurse-midwives-to-deliver-your-baby-inside-your-home-not-nebraska/), the prohibition stems from a last-minute addition to a 1984 state law that licensed nurse midwives. The Nebraska Medical Association requested the home birth restriction, and lawmakers agreed to include it to ensure the measure's passage.

The restriction remains in place despite changing circumstances. [In April 2026, a nurse midwife legally assisted with a home birth in Hastings](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/mom-who-sued-the-state-of-nebraska-in-home-birth-case-delivers-baby/) after Hope Lindstrom sued the state, arguing the ban violated her constitutional and religious freedom rights. The state settled and allowed the birth to proceed.

The case marked the first legally authorized CNM-assisted home birth in Nebraska history and fueled momentum for legislative change. But the prohibition carries serious consequences: it forces mothers seeking midwifery care toward less-educated practitioners and exacerbates access problems in rural areas, where [51.6% of counties lack adequate maternity care](https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/nebraska/maternity-care-access) compared to 32.6% nationally.

Current Nebraska law requires nurse midwives to practice under physician supervision, which advocates say creates additional barriers. As of June, only 44 of 113 licensed nurse midwives in the state provided birth services. Three freestanding birth centers have closed in recent years, with experts citing unreliable physician collaboration as a primary factor.

The Nebraska Medical Association and Nebraska Hospital Association have begun discussing modernization, signaling possible openness to change. They have produced guidelines that would allow home births with certified nurse midwives under specific safeguards, including risk assessment and transfer plans.

Elizabeth Mollard, president of the Nebraska affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, said nurse midwives are accepting of these guidelines and hope for legislative change within a year.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/49-states-allow-nurse-midwives-to-deliver-your-baby-inside-your-home-not-nebraska/)
- [Nebraska Public Media - Mom who sued the State of Nebraska in home birth case delivers baby](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/mom-who-sued-the-state-of-nebraska-in-home-birth-case-delivers-baby/)
- [March of Dimes PeriStats - Maternity care access in Nebraska](https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/nebraska/maternity-care-access)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/30/49-states-allow-nurse-midwives-to-deliver-your-baby-inside-your-home-not-nebraska/.