Summary

• May 5, 2026, is International Midwives Day when midwives are recognized for the critical role they play in B.C.’s health-care system
• Following consultation in March 2026, government and the BC College of Nurses and Midwives are further expanding the role midwives
• These changes will make it easier for people to access safe, compassionate and timely abortion services closer to home, and support more comprehensive pregnancy care
• BCCNM will develop standards of practice and work with UBC for any additional education that midwives may need

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People in British Columbia will have better access to midwife-led abortion care, continuous pregnancy care and other reproductive health services as midwives’ role expands.

“At a time when reproductive health is under attack, we’re taking action to protect and uphold it here in B.C.,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “These scope of practice changes makes it easier for people to access safe, compassionate and timely abortion services closer to home, while also strengthening pregnancy care. As a rural resident, I know how essential this is for people in communities where access can be limited. These changes will break down barriers and support more people across all their care needs.”

Expanding the role of midwives

The Province is further expanding the scope of practice of midwives. Once the changes are in place, midwives will be able to:

• prescribe Mifegymiso to treat an early miscarriage or to provide a safe medical abortion within the first trimester
• prescribe Levothyroxine for management of hypothyroidism
• prescribe Cabergoline for lactation suppression; to stop breast milk production after childbirth
• perform ultrasound for more obstetrical needs, such as to determine where the fetus is located during early pregnancy.

“Midwives provide personalized, holistic care to families throughout the province, with many of them specializing in supporting people from underserved and marginalized communities,” said Jennifer Blatherwick, parliamentary secretary for gender equity. “Expanding the scope of practice for midwives will support healthy pregnancies and improve access to essential, culturally safe reproductive care for people in communities where it might be limited.”

Midwives are experts in pregnancy care, and these scope changes enable them to fully use their training to provide more comprehensive, compassionate support across a broader range of needs, leading to improved outcomes and more personalized care for people and their families during pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

In addition to this, there are only two other provinces in Canada, Quebec and Saskatchewan, where midwives have the authority to independently manage and prescribe Mifegymiso for medical abortion. This will especially benefit people living in rural and remote communities, where access to reproductive care can require travelling long distances. By allowing midwives to prescribe Mifegymiso, the Province is improving midwife-led abortion care and increasing access to safe, confidential and timely services closer to home.

These new changes build on other expansions to midwives’ scope of practice that came into effect on April 1, 2026, along with the Health Professions and Occupations Act. Midwives can now provide people with copper IUD insertions and other birth control services, including prescriptions for hormonal pills at any stage of life, helping to reduce barriers, enhance access to timely reproductive care, and support reproductive autonomy. Previously, midwives could provide birth control services to people who were within three months postpartum only. As of April 1, 2026, midwives with the appropriate certification can also:

• use all methods to induce labour, similar to a physician
• use ultrasound to check the baby’s presentation and position before birth, in addition to midwives already being able to do ultrasounds to monitor heart rate  

People will be able to access abortion care and birth control services from midwives at any stage of their reproductive care needs.

Next steps to expand the role of midwives

These scope changes are a result of consultation with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) in March to expand and strengthen access to care. The Province is working with the BCCNM to expedite the regulation changes so they can come into effect as quickly as possible.

“The expanded midwifery scope of practice will support timely, consistent, and person‑centred care for families across British Columbia, including in underserved communities,” said Natasha Prodan-Bhalla, CEO and registrar, BC College of Nurses and Midwives. “As the regulator, BCCNM plays a key role in ensuring expanded scope activities are implemented safely and in the public interest. We look forward to working with our partners and with midwives as these changes are incorporated into midwifery practice, in service of a more responsive maternity care system.”

Once the regulation changes have been made and before they are implemented, the BCCNM will develop standards of practice, and will work with the University of British Columbia on any additional training midwives may require.

This announcement is part of the Province’s commitment to improve delivery of maternity services, uphold and support reproductive autonomy and strengthen B.C.’s public, universal health-care system. Together, these measures build on ongoing investments to ensure women and gender‑diverse people have access to compassionate, equitable and comprehensive care at every stage of life.

Quick Facts:

• As of April 1, 2026, there were 499 midwives practising in B.C.
• In 2025, midwives were involved in 30% of births in B.C., including home births.
• Midwives provide personalized, holistic care to families throughout the province, including those in rural, remote and First Nations communities. 
• This is part of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy that focuses on training, recruiting, retaining more health-care professionals, while ensuring that professionals can work to their full potential.

Learn More:

• For more information about strengthening health care for women and gender-diverse people, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026HLTH0023-000237
• For more information about the BC College of Nurses and Midwives, visit: https://www.bccnm.ca/Pages/Default.aspx

A backgrounder follows.