CGS-authored

"OctoMom" Nadya Suleman didn't just give birth to eight babies. She's now given birth to legislation.

The bill, SB 674 from Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, would place fertility clinics and cosmetic surgery providers under the jurisdiction of the Medical Board of California for the first time. The bill was introduced on Feb. 27, a month and a day after Suleman gave birth to eight babies after seeking fertility treatments.

"It is alarming that the State of California has no one watching out for patients who go to these fertility clinics or surgical centers," Negrete McLeod said. She added: "Patients have the right to know if their physician has even been trained or board certified in the specialty he or she is attempting to perform."

Under the legislation, cosmetic and fertility clinics would face a whole new set of regulations. The Board would be charged with setting up accreditation standards, along with an inspection and reporting system for clinics that didn't live up to these standards.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine put out voluntary guidelines for fertility clinics in...