Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official source posted by the New York State Senate, fetched 2026-08-11. Nothing is edited or removed. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official source appears here in brackets. The official bill page.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2168
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, SEAWRIGHT, BICHOTTE HERMELYN, SAYEGH,
SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring the
department of health to develop and maternal health care providers to
distribute written information about episiotomy to maternity patients
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
2500-n to read as follows:
§ 2500-N. DUTY OF PROVIDERS OF MATERNITY SERVICES TO INFORM. 1. (A)
EVERY MATERNAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER SHALL PROVIDE THE WRITTEN COMMUNI-
CATION ESTABLISHED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION PRIOR TO DELIVERY
TO EACH PREGNANT PATIENT FOR WHOM A VAGINAL DELIVERY IS PLANNED.
(B) EVERY MATERNAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER WHO ATTENDS TO A VAGINAL
DELIVERY WHICH WAS NOT PLANNED PRENATALLY SHALL PROVIDE THE WRITTEN
COMMUNICATION ESTABLISHED IN SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION TO THE
PATIENT FOLLOWING DELIVERY.
(C) AS USED IN THIS SECTION: "MATERNAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER" OR
"PROVIDER" SHALL MEAN A PHYSICIAN, MIDWIFE, NURSE PRACTITIONER, OR
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, ACTING WITHIN THE PRACTITIONER'S SCOPE OF PRACTICE,
MANAGING THE PREGNANCY OR LABOR OF A PREGNANT PATIENT.
2. (A) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DEVELOP A WRITTEN COMMUNICATION OR
COMMUNICATIONS FOR MATERNAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO DISTRIBUTE TO
MATERNITY PATIENTS AS REQUIRED IN SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, WHICH
CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT EPISIOTOMY. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CONSULT
WITH APPROPRIATE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, PROVIDERS, CONSUMERS, EDUCA-
TORS AND PATIENTS OR ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING THEM, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS AND
THE NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED MIDWIVES TO DEVELOP SUCH
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION OR COMMUNICATIONS.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05238-01-5
A. 2168 2
(B) SUCH WRITTEN COMMUNICATION OR COMMUNICATIONS SHALL INCLUDE, BUT
NOT BE LIMITED TO INFORMATION ON:
I. POTENTIAL MATERNAL INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH EPISIOTOMY;
II. THE IMPACT AN EPISIOTOMY MAY HAVE ON FUTURE DELIVERIES;
III. CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH EPISIOTOMY MAY BE NECESSARY TO SAVE THE
LIFE OR PROTECT THE HEALTH OF THE MOTHER OR FETUS; AND
IV. THE GENERAL REQUIREMENT THAT AN EPISIOTOMY MAY ONLY BE DONE WITH
THE PATIENT'S CONSENT AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH AN EPISIOTOMY MAY
BE DONE WITHOUT PATIENT CONSENT.
(C) THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ENSURE THAT ALL INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION OR COMMUNICATIONS ARE MAINTAINED AND UPDATED TO
REFLECT CURRENT CLINICAL GUIDELINES.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the commissioner of
health shall make regulations and take other actions reasonably neces-
sary to implement this act on that date.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.