(AP) — Gov. David Ige has signed legislation making Hawaiʻi the latest state to allow some nurses to perform abortions. Hawaiʻi law previously said only physicians could perform early, in-clinic abortions. But several smaller islands lack abortion providers because of a doctor shortage. This forces residents of those islands to fly to Honolulu if they need the procedure. The new law allows advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe medication to end a pregnancy and to perform aspiration abortion, a type of minor surgery during which a vacuum is used to empty a woman’s uterus. The nurses may provide this care during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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