New Calif. law expands who can perform abortions

Wednesday, October 09, 2013

In this Monday, Jan. 24, 2011 file picture, anti-abortion and pro-choice activists stand next to each other in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington during a rally on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. Americans, regardless of generation, are deeply conflicted as they wrestle with the legality and morality of abortion, with a substantial majority identifying themselves as both "pro-choice" and "pro-life," according to a sweeping new survey. The detailed and nuanced findings were released Thursday, June 9, 2011 by the Public Religion Research Institute, based on a survey of 3,000 adults _ one of the largest ever to focus on Americans' views of abortion. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants in California will be allowed to perform a type of early abortion under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would let those professionals perform what are known as aspiration abortions during the first trimester. The method involves inserting a tube and using suction to terminate a pregnancy.

Oregon, Montana, Vermont and New Hampshire already allow nurse practitioners to perform those abortions. Previous California law allowed nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physicians assistants to administer medicine to induce an abortion.

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Supporters, including the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said expanding who can perform surgical abortions would provide better health care for women.

"Timely access to reproductive health services is critical to women's health," Atkins said in a statement Wednesday. "AB154 will ensure that no woman has to travel excessively long distances or wait for long periods in order to obtain an early abortion."

Brown announced his approval of the bill along with several others related to women's health care. AB154 will go into effect on Jan. 1.

Republican lawmakers who opposed the legislation argued that allowing non-doctors to perform surgical abortions would increase risks to patients.

Under a state pilot program created in 2007, 8,000 aspiration abortions have been provided by non-doctors. Data from the program showed both doctors and non-doctors performing the procedures with complication rates below 2 percent, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.

The new law also requires non-doctors seeking to perform abortions to receive special training.

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sacramento, jerry brown, laws, abortion, women's health, planned parenthood, politics