Midwives say the new law will relieve their fears to practice.

"I can teach my children that they should obey the law and not be a hypocrite," said tearful midwife Suzanne Smith, who lobbied for the bill for four years.

Utah's history of midwifery dates to pioneer times. And state law allows women to give birth at home.

About 600 Utah babies a year are born at home. But because doctors and certified nurse midwives will not attend home births, most women are attended by lay midwives who can only "catch" their babies - not using forceps or administering drugs. Four years ago, a lay midwife who did more was arrested for practicing medicine without a license.

House Bill 25 establishes education and training requirements, includes a list of medicines midwives can administer, sets up circumstances in which midwives must transport mothers and babies to the hospital and protects doctors who treat midwives' patients from liability.

North Ogden Sen. Allen Christensen made a last-ditch effort to kill what he called a "dangerous and bad" bill, but was unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, Christensen managed to gut the bill with legislation written by traditional midwives who resist regulation of any kind, but it was reconsidered and restored on Wednesday.