Today's Law As Amended


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AB-154 Abortion.(2013-2014)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Section 2253 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

2253.
 (a) Failure to comply with the Reproductive Privacy Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 123460) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code) constitutes unprofessional conduct.
(b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a person is subject to Section 2052 if the person  he or she  performs an abortion, and at the time of so doing, does not have a valid, unrevoked, and unsuspended license to practice as a physician and surgeon.
(2) A person shall not be subject to Section 2052 if the person  he or she  performs an abortion by medication or aspiration techniques in the first trimester of pregnancy, and at the time of so doing, has a valid, unrevoked, and unsuspended license or certificate obtained in accordance with the Medical Practice Act (Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000)), the Osteopathic Act (Article 21 (commencing with Section 2450) of Chapter 5), the  Nursing Practice Act (Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 2700)) or the Physician Assistant Practice Act (Chapter 7.7 (commencing with Section 3500)), that authorizes the person  him or her  to perform the functions necessary for an abortion by medication or aspiration techniques.
(c) In order to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), a person shall comply with Section 2725.4 or 3502.4.
(d) The Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California shall not suspend or revoke the certificate of a physician and surgeon solely for performing an abortion if they performed the abortion in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and the Reproductive Privacy Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 123460) of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code).
(e) Notwithstanding any other law, including, but not limited to, Sections 141, 480, 490, 2221, 2305, 2234, and 2236, the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as applicable, shall not deny an application for licensure as a physician and surgeon, or suspend, revoke, or otherwise impose discipline upon a physician and surgeon licensed in this state under either of the following circumstances:
(1) The physician and surgeon is licensed to practice medicine in another state and was disciplined in that state solely for performing an abortion in that state.
(2) The physician and surgeon is licensed to practice medicine in another state and was convicted in that state for an offense related solely to the performance of an abortion in that state.

SEC. 2.

 Section 2725.4 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

2725.4.
 Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the following shall apply:
(a) In order to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253, a person with a license or certificate to practice as a nurse practitioner or a certified nurse-midwife shall complete training recognized by the Board of Registered Nursing. Beginning January 1, 2014, and until January 1, 2016, the competency-based training protocols established by Health Workforce Pilot Project (HWPP) No. 171 through the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development shall be used.
(b) In order to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253, a person with a license or certificate to practice as a nurse practitioner or a certified nurse-midwife shall adhere to standardized procedures developed in compliance with subdivision (c) of Section 2725 that specify all of the following:
(1) The extent of supervision by a physician and surgeon with relevant training and expertise.
(2) Procedures for transferring patients to the care of the physician and surgeon or a hospital.
(3) Procedures for obtaining assistance and consultation from a physician and surgeon.
(4) Procedures for providing emergency care until physician assistance and consultation are available.
(5) The method of periodic review of the provisions of the standardized procedures.
(c) A nurse practitioner or certified nurse-midwife who has completed training and achieved clinical competency through HWPP No. 171 shall be authorized to perform abortions by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253, in adherence to standardized procedures described in subdivision (b).
(d) It is unprofessional conduct for any nurse practitioner or certified nurse-midwife to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253 without prior completion of training and validation of clinical competency.

SEC. 3.

 Section 3502.4 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

3502.4.
 (a) In order to receive authority from his or her supervising physician and surgeon to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253, a physician assistant shall complete training either through training programs approved by the board pursuant to Section 3513 or by training to perform medical services which augment his or her current areas of competency pursuant to Section 1399.543 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations. Beginning January 1, 2014, and until January 1, 2016, the training and clinical competency protocols established by Health Workforce Pilot Project (HWPP) No. 171 through the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development shall be used as training and clinical competency guidelines to meet this requirement.
(b) In order to receive authority from his or her supervising physician and surgeon to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253, a physician assistant shall comply with protocols developed in compliance with Section 3502 that specify:
(1) The extent of supervision by a physician and surgeon with relevant training and expertise.
(2) Procedures for transferring patients to the care of the physician and surgeon or a hospital.
(3) Procedures for obtaining assistance and consultation from a physician and surgeon.
(4) Procedures for providing emergency care until physician assistance and consultation are available.
(5) The method of periodic review of the provisions of the protocols.
(c) The training protocols established by HWPP No. 171 shall be deemed to meet the standards of the board. A physician assistant who has completed training and achieved clinical competency through HWPP No. 171 shall be authorized to perform abortions by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253, in adherence to protocols described in subdivision (b).
(d) It is unprofessional conduct for any physician assistant to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques pursuant to Section 2253 without prior completion of training and validation of clinical competency.

SEC. 4.

 Section 123468 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

123468.
 The performance of an abortion is unauthorized if performed by someone other than the pregnant person and if  either of the following is true:
(a) The person performing the abortion is not a health care provider authorized to perform an abortion pursuant to Section 2253 of the Business and Professions Code.
(b) The abortion is performed on a viable fetus, and both of the following are established:
(1) In the good faith medical judgment of the physician, the fetus was viable.
(2) In the good faith medical judgment of the physician, continuation of the pregnancy posed no risk to life or health of the pregnant person. woman. 
SEC. 5.
 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.