New York Assembly Bill A02168

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/25
• Refer: 1/15/25
• Report Pass: 2/4/25
• Engrossed: 2/10/25
• Refer: 2/10/25
• Engrossed: 6/9/25
• Enrolled: 10/9/25
• Vetoed: 10/16/25

Caption

Requires the department of health to develop and maternal health care providers to distribute written information about episiotomy to maternity patients.

Summary

This bill requires the New York State Department of Health to develop written information about episiotomy and requires maternal health care providers to give that information to maternity patients. The disclosure must be provided before delivery when a vaginal birth is planned, or after delivery if a vaginal delivery was not planned prenatally. The bill defines covered providers broadly to include physicians, midwives, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants acting within their scope of practice. The required written communication must explain the potential maternal injuries associated with episiotomy, how the procedure may affect future deliveries, when it may be medically necessary to protect the life or health of the mother or fetus, and the general rule that episiotomy requires patient consent, including circumstances where it may be performed without consent. The Department of Health must consult with relevant professional and patient groups, and the materials must be kept current with clinical guidelines. The act takes effect 180 days after becoming law, with immediate authority for the commissioner to prepare implementation regulations.

Impact

The bill would add a new section to the Public Health Law establishing a patient-notification requirement for maternity care related to episiotomy. It would impose a new duty on the Department of Health to create standardized educational materials and on maternity care providers to distribute them to patients, thereby affecting obstetric practice, midwifery, and other labor-and-delivery care settings. The measure does not ban episiotomy or change consent law directly, but it reinforces informed-consent expectations and patient education requirements in prenatal and delivery care.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support. It passed the Assembly Health Committee unanimously, then passed the Assembly floor and Senate floor with no recorded opposition. The voting history suggests the measure was viewed as a straightforward patient-information and maternal-health bill rather than a controversial policy change.

Contention

There is little visible contention in the available record, and no committee transcript excerpts are provided. The main policy issue embedded in the bill is how much detail the state should require providers to disclose about episiotomy, including risks, future delivery impacts, and the limited circumstances for nonconsensual use. Any disagreement would likely center on implementation burden for providers, the scope and wording of the required materials, and ensuring the information remains clinically current, but no organized opposition is reflected in the votes.