California Legislature moves to allow non-doctors to perform abortions

California is known for bucking the trend and going its own way. And the state legislature is doing it again—this time, when it comes to abortion. At a time when access to abortion is being restricted in many states, California may expand it.

The state legislature has approved a bill called AB 154. It would let specially trained nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants, and certified midwives perform certain types of routine abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy. It’s now up to the Governor to decide whether to sign it into law. Tracy Weitz is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and an abortion care expert at U-C San Francisco. She talked about the impact the bill would have in California.