WARM’s Mission
Birth is the most fundamental human rights issue. Safe and successful childbirth options are the strong foundation upon which every healthy society grows.
Because of standards of care and scope of practice established over nearly four decades, Washington state midwifery care is positioned to become an example of excellence in maternity care to the rest of the nation. These standards must be maintained and expanded upon if we are to bring our national birth outcomes up to the level of care being provided by other developed countries worldwide, which utilize higher levels of midwifery than does the United States.
WARM’s Goals
To ensure that safe, legal, and respectful midwifery care options during childbirth are available to every woman in the state.
To maintain a community platform for issues pertaining to childbirth.
To receive and respond to needs and requests about birth from mothers and babies statewide, and diligently protect the rights and freedoms of birthing families.
To promote midwifery, with a variety of models that work to provide safe, humane, respectful, organic, culturallyâappropriate maternal and infant care throughout the childbearing years.
To promote professional respect and cooperation among all styles of midwives regardless of type of credentials or lack thereof, and between midwives and other types of birth professionals.
To strengthen midwifery education, continuing education, and access to a local, national, and international network of experienced and aspiring midwives and supportive caregivers.
To improve outcomes by offering inclusive educational opportunities for all types of midwives, birth professionals, and students.
To encourage the expansion of the autonomous scope of practice of midwives, both collectively and individually, to regain all of the original scope of practice traditionally exercised by midwives, as well as incorporate related elements of modern science whenever appropriate and useful.
To respond to specific educational needs and requests to help develop and support local midwifery to achieve a standard of skills and excellence that empowers Washington midwives to exceed the nationwide outcomes for maternity care.
To work in association with sister midwifery organizations around the world.
To work with state entities to maintain these goals at all times, to include proper legal authority of and protection for the midwifery profession as a whole and its members individually.
To protect these goals and philosophy of midwifery, and diligently guard against the erosion, diminishment, or legal encroachment upon these goals and philosophy, or upon the expanded scope of practice which is critical to the attainment of these goals.