A new Maryland law will allow more health practitioners to provide abortion services.
HB 937, which went into effect Friday, allows nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives to provide abortions, including a prescription for the abortion pill.
But some are expressing concerns, including Deborah Brocato, a retired nurse and chair of a group called Campaign to Protect Women. Her group contends the new Maryland law hurts women.
“I cannot replace a physician,” Brocato said. “Having a physician do a surgical abortion or prescribe the abortion pill provides a higher level of safety.”
In a statement, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington’s co-director of clinical services, Anne Cavett, said studies show that advanced practice clinicians — such as nurse practitioners — can provide services as safely and effectively as physicians, and she called Brocato‘s comment “blatantly and factually wrong.”
“It is a smokescreen meant to confuse and frighten patients seeking care,” Cavett said.
Brocato’s organization attempted to bring the bill to a referendum, which would have allowed Maryland residents to decide whether to veto the bill, despite its passage. But they fell short of getting enough signatures.