SACRAMENTO, Calif.,
April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Assemblywomen Autumn Burke's
(D- Inglewood) bill, AB 2682,
which would ensure all Californian pregnant women are able to
access prenatal care of their choice passed out of the Assembly
Business and Professions Committee today. The bill is now on the
way to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Currently, Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) can only practice
under the supervision of a physician which can restrict the ability
on where they could provide service. AB 2682 would untether a CNM
from a doctor, in cases of normal childbirth, to provide care,
including family planning, for the mother and the newborn. AB
2682 also provides strong safeguards. If at any time during
the pregnancy, an abnormal condition would arise, the CNM would be
required to refer or transfer care to a physician and follow the
physician's treatment plan.
Although CNMs undergo more training than a Licensed Midwife,
CNMs still have the requirement of being supervised by a doctor,
while the Legislature removed physician supervision of Licensed
Midwives in 2014.
California is one of only 6
states which places the physician requirement on CNMs, even though
the doctor doesn't oversee health care delivery, inspect or review
of charts, co-sign prescriptions, perform direct care on the
patient, or evaluate CNM patients at any point during
pregnancy.
"I have experienced first-hand the expert care provided by
certified nurse midwives," explained Burke. "I want all women
in California to have the choice
of selecting which kind of medical practitioner they would like to
help them as they give birth to their children. Untethering CNMs
from physician supervision requirements will increase access to
health care services for thousands of women in both urban and rural
areas," said Burke.
According to a national study published in February, areas
within the U.S. where Certified Nurse Midwives are used for
maternity care, pregnant mothers experience higher rates of
spontaneous vaginal delivery, vaginal birth after cesarean, and
breastfeeding, and significantly lower rates of cesarean, preterm
birth, low birth weight infants, and neonatal death.
Furthermore, the use of Midwives in collaboration with other health
care professionals drastically reduces the cost associated with
maternity care.
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SOURCE California State Assemblymember, Autumn Burke