California Allows Nurses and Midwives to Perform Abortion

Jojy Cheriyan MD;MPH-October 14, 2013

Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed a bill last Wednesday (October 8th 2013), allowing nurse practitioners, midwives and physician assistants to perform a common type of abortion, a suction abortion, during the first trimester. These non-physicians can also prescribe drugs to perform abortions.

This new law is first of its kind in the United States allowing a wider range of non-physician practitioners to perform surgical abortions. In the recent past, several other states have passed a series of laws to restrict access to abortion and to prevent taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions.

States like Oregon, New Hampshire, Montana and Vermont allow only nurse practitioners, other than physicians, to perform abortions using tube and suction method. But, California is going against the national trend, where Democrats control all state-wide offices and both houses of State Legislature.

The State assemblywoman who wrote the bill said, " We are trending in a different direction and we are proud of it. California has a strong history of support for reproductive health care for women." She also said that women living in rural areas of California have difficulty finding abortion providers.

Prolife advocates say this new law would endanger women's health and risk their lives.

According to Brian Johnston, the Director of the National Right to Life's western regional office, "this bill will massively increase the number of abortions and at the same time reduce safety. For those who say they care about women's health, they are doing the opposite, reducing the medical standards for abortion."

Ashley Mcguire, a senior fellow at The Catholic Association, questioned why California would expand the number of abortion providers in the state.

“Why would Governor Brown put the safety of more women in jeopardy by allowing people who are not doctors to do abortions?” she asked. “Americans want more protections for women and babies, not less.”

A single pilot study started in 2007 shows the complication rates for doctors and non-doctors are similar , below 2 percent. But solid evidence is lacking and no peer reviewed scientific study is published about the safety of abortions performed by nurses or physician assistants or midwives.

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