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Would Nevada’s abortion ballot question allow non-doctors to perform abortions?

By Tabitha Mueller
YES

Nevada law states that only a physician licensed by the state or employed by the government can provide abortion services.

A pro-abortion ballot question proposing to amend the state’s Constitution going before voters in the 2024 November election would specify that all individuals have a right to abortion “performed or administered by a qualified health care practitioner.”

While the proposed constitutional amendment does not directly define “qualified health care practitioner,” the term typically refers to a broader subset of health care providers that includes registered nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners or midwives, as well as physicians.

One 2022 study found that 19 states allow non-physicians to perform medication and procedural abortions.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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