SACRAMENTO (AP) — Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants could perform a type of early abortion under a bill approved Monday by the state Senate, leaving the measure one step from the governor.
The measure by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would let those medical 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.
The Senate approved AB154 on a mostly party-line, 25-11 vote, sending it back to the Assembly for a final vote on amendments.
Expanding the list of professionals who can perform those types of abortions would help make them available in areas that have few doctors, said Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, who carried the measure in the Senate. She said about half of California counties lack abortion providers.
“All women deserve access to care in their local communities,” she said.
The procedure is safest when performed early, yet women in rural areas often have difficulty arranging for and traveling to a provider, she said.
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