{"id":264102,"date":"2022-03-10T16:40:44","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T22:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=264102"},"modified":"2022-03-10T14:09:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T20:09:41","slug":"california-non-doctors-abortions-remove-oversight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/california-non-doctors-abortions-remove-oversight\/","title":{"rendered":"California bill would remove doctor oversight from abortions done by nurses and midwives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Abortion in California may become even less safe if a new bill, allowing nurses and midwives to abort preborn babies without supervision, becomes law.<\/p>\n

According to the Sacramento Bee<\/a>, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physicians assistants have been able to commit first trimester aspiration abortions<\/a> under the supervision of a physician since 2013. SB 1375<\/a> would drop the standards currently in place to allow nurse practitioners to commit these first trimester abortions on their own, without<\/em> being under a supervising physician.<\/p>\n

The bill also strikes language allowing the Board of Registered Nursing to set standards for practicing independently, and gets rid of requirements for formalized \u201ctransition to practice\u201d programs \u2014 such as residency or preceptorships \u2014 allowing standards to be a \u201cminimum of three full-time equivalent years of practice or 4600 hours,\u201d allowing for previous work experience to count towards the requirement.<\/p>\n

This means a nurse practitioner would require less formal training to commit abortions on her own, and allows for almost no oversight. Additionally, should best practices change in the future, the Board would have no ability to adjust state requirements.<\/p>\n

The bill aims to make abortions more available in rural areas, and to address a \u201chealth care\u201d shortfall among Black and Latino populations \u2014 even though abortion is not health care<\/a> and is never medically necessary<\/a>. This bill mirrors another bill, AB890, which passed in 2020 and broadened the scope of nurse practitioners and other highly trained health care workers, allowing them to work without a supervising physician. However, AB890 said nothing about abortions, which lawmakers say SB 1375 would address.<\/p>\n

READ: Doctors sue California over lack of assisted suicide conscience protections<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Los Angeles Times<\/a>, the California Medical Association, which fought against expanding the scope of practice in 2020, is expected to oppose SB 1375 for similar reasons. Pro-lifers have also sounded the alarm. \u201cIt\u2019s a dangerous bill,\u201d said Kathleen Domingo, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, according to the Times. \u201cI think what this is really doing is undermining the safety of women in all of their healthcare interactions. It\u2019s putting access before safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pro-Life San Francisco also tweeted its concerns about the alarming expansion of abortions and lowering of the standards within the state. “‘Keep abortion safe and legal’ changed into ‘mail order abortion, no doctors, no admitting privileges, and no health and safety standards’ real fast. It’s almost like it’s not about health and safety \u2014\u00a0it’s actually about profiteering.”<\/p>\n

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\u201cKeep abortion safe and legal\u201d changed into \u201cmail order abortion, no doctors, no admitting privileges, and no health and safety standards\u201d real fast. It\u2019s almost like it\u2019s not about health and safety \u2014 it\u2019s actually about profiteering. #SB1375<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/RGN0TA9M1t<\/a><\/p>\n

— Pro-Life San Francisco (@prolifesf) March 3, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n