Loudon's Midwifery Surprise Costs Him Chairmanship

A sneaky, perhaps sly legislative maneuver to include the expansion of midwifery into a larger insurance bill has set off a firestorm at the Capitol and cost a Senator a chairmanship.

As always, Jason Rosenbaum at the Columbia Tribune Politics Blog (how would we know the dish in Jeff City without him?), is all over it.

Apparently, the clause, which Sen. John Loudon placed in legislation, essentially legalizes the practice of midwifery. Midwives are usually autonomous practitioners who help women with normal pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum.

Loudon has personal and passionate views about midwifery and has always made a commitment to legalize it here in Missouri.

But Loudon's own leader took away his post as Chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, because of the way in which the final version of the bill came together.

Now Loudon is explaining why he did it.