Assembly Considers Bill to Let Midwives Do Abortions Without Doctor Supervision

In 2013, California lowered the health safety standards for women by letting non-physicians, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives do first-trimester surgical and medical abortions. State legislators are at it again this year with the introduction of SB 1237, a bill to remove the requirement that certified nurse-midwives be directly supervised by a doctor. 

The bill, authored by Senator Bill Dodd (D) Napa, has already passed the State Senate and is scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly Business and Professions Committee next Monday, August 7. 

“It is horrific enough that California funds the killing of children through all nine months of pregnancy and leads the country in abortions with over 132,000 each year,” said Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council. “But the radical abortion lobby and the politicians they support seem hellbent on making it easier for unborn children to be killed, even if it means lowering health and safety standards for all women.” 

Third-eight other states require surgical abortions to only be done by licensed doctors to protect the health of the mother. NARAL Pro-Choice California is pushing hard to change the state’s safety standards anyways, putting SB 1237 at the top of its legislative priority list.  SB 1237 “aims to expand access to reproductive healthcare — including abortion care and high-quality maternity care — by removing the outdated physician supervision requirement for Certified Nurse-Midwives,” stated a NARAL press release. 

Action Steps:

Please call the bill author and the members of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and tell them to vote no on SB 1237, unless they removed the provision of the bill pertaining to abortion.

Bill author: Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa)

• Capitol Office: (916) 651-4003
• District Offices: (707) 224-1990

Assembly Business and Profession Committee