A new Maryland law will allow more health practitioners to provide abortion services.
, 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 . 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鈥檚 co-director of clinical services, Anne Cavett, said studies show that advanced practice clinicians 鈥� such as nurse practitioners 鈥� can provide services as safely and effectively as physicians, and she called Brocato鈥榮 comment 鈥渂latantly and factually wrong.鈥�
鈥淚t is a smokescreen meant to confuse and frighten patients seeking care,鈥� 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.
