New York Senate Bill S07545

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/22/25
• Refer: 4/22/25

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 would add a new section to the Public Health Law requiring the New York State Department of Health to create written educational materials about episiotomy and requiring maternal health care providers to give those materials to maternity patients. The information must be provided before delivery to patients planning a vaginal birth, and 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 health of the mother or fetus, and the general rule that episiotomy requires patient consent except in limited circumstances. The Department of Health must consult with relevant professional and patient organizations, including obstetric and midwifery groups, and must keep the information updated to reflect current clinical guidelines.

Impact

The bill would create a new disclosure and patient-education mandate in state law for maternity care settings, adding a provider duty to distribute standardized episiotomy information and a corresponding Department of Health duty to develop and maintain that material. It would affect obstetricians, midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, hospitals, and other maternity care providers involved in planned or unplanned vaginal deliveries, while also shaping the content of patient informed-consent discussions around episiotomy.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a patient-rights and informed-consent bill with an emphasis on transparency and education. Its sponsors are from the Senate and the bill was referred to the Committee on Women's Issues, suggesting support from lawmakers focused on maternal health and women's health policy. No contrary positions are documented in the provided materials, so there is no recorded public opposition or vote-based sentiment to assess.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the scope and timing of the disclosure requirement: providers must deliver the information before a planned vaginal delivery or after an unplanned vaginal delivery, which could raise practical questions about workflow and patient timing. Another possible issue is the bill’s treatment of consent and exceptions, since it requires information on when episiotomy may be performed without patient consent in limited circumstances, a topic that could prompt debate over medical discretion versus patient autonomy. The bill also relies on the Department of Health to define and update the educational content, which may draw input from professional groups such as ACOG and midwifery organizations.