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u.s. news Diabierna 4 Maart 2022

California could OK abortions by solo nurse practitioners

(AP) — A bill announced Thurs- would be allowed to perform abor-
day in the California Legislature tions if this bill becomes law.
would let some nurse practitio-
ners perform abortions without The U.S. Supreme Court now has
the supervision of a doctor — part a conservative majority after former
of a plan to prepare for a poten- President Donald Trump made three
tial influx of patients from other appointments during his term. Many
states if the U.S. Supreme Court conservative-led states have respond-
allows states to ban or severely re- ed by passing new abortion restric-
strict the procedure. tions, hoping the court will uphold
them.
State Senate leader Toni Atkins, a
Democrat from San Diego, said the Texas has a law that bans nearly all
goal is to increase the number of abortions in the state, but it is only
health care workers in California enforceable by civil lawsuits. Abor-
who can perform abortions ahead of tion rights groups have sued to block
a potential Supreme Court ruling this that law, but the U.S. Supreme Court
summer. has allowed the law to remain in ef-
fect while the case is pending.
“As states like Texas and others start to
restrict further abortion, it just makes Last year, the court heard arguments
sense that women are going to find over whether to uphold a Mississippi
other places to go. California will be law that bans most abortions after 15 care.
one of those states,” she said. weeks of pregnancy. The court likely “We are essentially treating abortion
won’t make a decision on that case A proposal filed last month would po- like no other health care service,” he
Nurse practitioners are not doctors, until June. But during a hearing on tentially use taxpayer money to help said. “We’re not flying people from
but they have advanced degrees and the case, a majority of justices indicat- women from other states get to Cali- poor states to California to get heart
can provide a number of treatments. ed they were likely to uphold the law fornia by paying for things like travel, transplants.”
In 2013, California passed a law al- and could even overturn Roe v. Wade, lodging, child care and food. Atkins
lowing nurse practitioners, certified the court’s 1973 ruling that banned said the government couldn’t pay for A 2013 study led by the University
nurse midwives and physician assis- states from outlawing abortion. everyone, saying the bill would create of California-San Francisco conclud-
tants to perform abortions during the a fund that would also accept private ed first trimester abortions are “just
first trimester of pregnancy — but If the court overturns or significant- donations. as safe when performed by trained
only if they completed special train- ly weakens the Roe ruling, multiple nurse practitioners, physician assis-
ing and were under the supervision states would likely act quickly to ban “You will see a bill that tries to set up tance and certified nurse midwives as
of a doctor. or severely limit access to abortion. a framework for where we can do that when conducted by physicians.”
and take private dollars,” Atkins said.
Atkins’ bill would change the law by But California, led by Democrats “When we’re within our areas of
letting nurse practitioners with the who support abortion rights, would Jonathan Keller, president and CEO training, we are absolutely qualified
required training perform first tri- do the opposite by passing laws to in- of the California Family Council, to provide the care that we do,” said
mester abortions without a doctor’s crease access to abortion. That could called Atkins’ bill “a tragic example of Patti Gurney, president of the Cali-
supervision. California has about include helping women who live in the legislators putting abortion num- fornia Association for Nurse Practi-
30,000 nurse practitioners. But it’s states where abortion is banned or se- bers above abortion safety and put- tioners.
unclear how many more of them verely limited travel to California for ting ideology above patients.”

Biden seeks $10B for aid to Ukraine, $22.5B for coronavirus

(AP) - The Biden administra- The acting director of the White by Congress “has been spent.”
tion is seeking another $10 billion House Office of Management and The $22.5 billion tied to the coronavi-
to help protect Ukraine against Budget, Shalanda Young, laid out the rus would pay for testing, treatments But Republicans have balked at the
the Russian invasion and an ad- need for the supplemental funding in and vaccines as well as investments in request for added COVID-19 funds.
ditional $22.5 billion to cover a Thursday blog post. The requests research and efforts to increase vac- In a letter to Biden, Sen. Mitt Rom-
coronavirus pandemic-related would be additions to a planned bud- cinations worldwide. There had been ney, R-Utah, and 35 other GOP sen-
expenses, two major additions to get agreement that Congress is trying expectations that the request was go- ators complained Tuesday that there’s
budget talks already underway. to finish before a March 11 deadline. ing to be for as much as $30 billion, no detailed accounting of whether
which comes after lawmakers and the and how the earlier funds were spent,
Young said in the blog post that the Biden and Trump administrations saying, “It is not yet clear why addi-
money was urgently needed. The $10 committed a combined $5.8 tril- tional funding is needed.”
billion to Ukraine would be a rapid lion over multiple years on the pan-
escalation of the $1.4 billion provid- demic, according to the nonpartisan White House COVID-19 coordina-
ed by the United States since 2021, Committee for a Responsible Federal tor Jeff Zients said on a call with re-
a reflection of the crisis caused by Budget. porters on Wednesday that the plan to
the Russian offensive that began last address the pandemic is “robust and
month. Young said the money would The requested Ukraine assistance comprehensive,” which is why it re-
cover “additional humanitarian, se- seems sure to win broad bipartisan quires additional funding for imme-
curity, and economic assistance in support in Congress, and the pro- diate and longer-term priorities.
Ukraine and the neighboring region posed additional COVID-19 spend-
in the coming days and weeks.” ing has won strong support from The federal government spent $6.8
Democrats. trillion last fiscal year, due in large
Last week, Biden administration of- part to the emergency measures tied
ficials told congressional aides that “To keep schools open, to keep life as to the coronavirus that included
their requests would include $3.5 normal as it can be, we need addition- President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion re-
billion for the Pentagon and $2.9 bil- al COVID investments now, not after lief package. Before the COVID-19
lion for humanitarian aid as Russia’s a possible new variant arrives,” Sen- pandemic, the federal budget was
invasion has caused more than a mil- ate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, about $4.4 trillion, according to the
lion Ukrainian refugees to flee their D-N.Y., said Wednesday. He said Congressional Budget Office.
country. COVID-19 money already provided