Birthing centers bill advances, wins state Senate approval for first time

Written by Sarah Ladd Lantern of Kentucky

A bill that would allow freestanding birthing centers in Kentucky was approved 34-0 with two lawmakers voting in favor of it, bringing the long-running dispute over these facilities to the Senate floor on Friday.

Following the vote, senators stood and applauded. The House, which adopted legislation last year to remove barriers to building birthing centers, is now the next stop for the bill. In the Senate, that bill was defeated. Supporters of birthing centers have hope that this year’s Senate Bill 17 will become law after Friday’s vote.

Advocates claim that the primary obstacle preventing freestanding birth centers in the state is the certificate of necessity requirement, which SB 17 would eliminate.

People with good pregnancies can give birth with minimal intervention at freestanding birth centers, which are compact, cozy spaces.

Legislators supported SB 17, which was introduced by Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, which requires that residents have a hospital transfer agreement and a physician medical director.

Additionally, SB 17 stipulates that freestanding birth facilities must be located within 30 miles of a hospital. A birth center would be grandfathered into the location and would not be subject to the distance limit if a hospital closed after one within 30 miles opened.

Senator Donald Douglas, a Republican from Nicholasville, was one of those who died. Douglas, a doctor, stated in committee that Funke Frommeyer had done a fantastic job on the bill, but he still had concerns about the potential medical consequences of unanticipated birth difficulties.

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