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Health Care
LWVAL Action Priority Level II - Monitoring occurs; action dependent on opportunity and available resources.Click a bill to see sponsor(s), summary (including link to full text), League action and justification for that action, and progress of the bill through the legislative process.
Legend:
= LWVAL's support for the legislation. 
= LWVAL's opposition to the legislation.
= new bill activity; change from previous week's report such as new progress in the legislature and/or League action. Bill may be one newly added to the report. These updates are in green font.LWVAL has taken a position on these bills:
[none at this time]
LWVAL is monitoring this bill:
HB67/SB99 - Midwives, physiologic childbirth, providing women the right to choose physiologic childbirth, providing immunity to midwives and certain healthcare providers who assist in physiologic childbirths, Sec. 34-19-11 added
Sponsor(s):
HB76: Representative Ball
SB99: Senator Bussman
Summary/Synopsis: Provides that midwives can assist in births outside a hospital or medical facility without criminal prosecution for practicing without a license if they are certified by a specified national organization and also provides immunity from liability for medical professionals for acts or omissions arising from a woman's decision to have childbirth outside a medical facility.
There is no state monitoring agency established or other state mechanism of oversight in this bill.
League Action and Justification: Monitor
LWVAL does not have a position on midwives practicing without state certification or for or against facilitating childbirth outside a medical facility. Our most relevant position is that we support "an aggressive campaign to reduce infant mortality [that] should include access to an adequate number and location of affordable quality prenatal services such as mobile clinics and utilization of a variety of qualified medical professionals and provision of a variety of educational strategies about family planning and prenatal care."
The lack of specified in-state monitoring authority is of concern.
Bill Progress in Legislature:
HB67
01/14/2013: First Readings and referred to the
SB99
01/14/2013: Read for the first time and referred to the
HB76: Representative Ball
SB99: Senator Bussman
Summary/Synopsis: Provides that midwives can assist in births outside a hospital or medical facility without criminal prosecution for practicing without a license if they are certified by a specified national organization and also provides immunity from liability for medical professionals for acts or omissions arising from a woman's decision to have childbirth outside a medical facility.
There is no state monitoring agency established or other state mechanism of oversight in this bill.
League Action and Justification: Monitor
LWVAL does not have a position on midwives practicing without state certification or for or against facilitating childbirth outside a medical facility. Our most relevant position is that we support "an aggressive campaign to reduce infant mortality [that] should include access to an adequate number and location of affordable quality prenatal services such as mobile clinics and utilization of a variety of qualified medical professionals and provision of a variety of educational strategies about family planning and prenatal care."
The lack of specified in-state monitoring authority is of concern.
Bill Progress in Legislature:
HB67
01/14/2013: First Readings and referred to the
SB99
01/14/2013: Read for the first time and referred to the
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