Wilson OKs Measure to Legalize Lay Midwifery : Legislation: In a late flurry, governor also approves public access to the Capitol computer system. Among bills he vetoes is one for a card casino at Hollywood Park.

SACRAMENTO — In a last-minute flurry of bill signing, Gov. Pete Wilson has approved legislation making California the 15th state in the nation to legalize the centuries-old practice of lay midwifery.

The bill, whose author is state Sen. Lucy Killea (I-San Diego), establishes a system for licensing and testing of lay midwives who deliver babies for women desiring natural childbirth in a homelike setting.

Lay midwives differ from nurse midwives in that they use little or no medical procedures in childbirth and often have no formal medical training.

“This is a great day for women seeking an alternative to expensive, doctor-attended hospital births,” Killea said. “This puts California on record with other states that recognize midwifery as an important profession.”

The passage of the law caps a 15-year effort by about 150 California midwives to legalize a profession that has for years been practiced under fear of arrest by agents of the California Medical Board. Many have been charged with practicing medicine without a license, although few were successfully prosecuted.

Although the passage of the law is considered a victory for lay midwives, it does not have their unanimous support.

Many contend that compromises made by Killea with the California Medical Assn., the state’s largest physician organization, weakened the legislation severely. Their concern is a provision in the law--demanded by the association--that requires midwives to be supervised by a physician.

Others, such as Jessica Mitford, author of the “American Way of Birth,” say the provision is a natural extension of the informal agreements that midwives already have with doctors, who provide medical backup in the event of an emergency.

“My feeling is that the signing of this bill is really extremely good news,” she said. “I think it’s a great foot in the door for the midwives.”

Dixon Arnett, executive director of the Medical Board, which will oversee the licensing of midwives, said his board will have to determine just how the midwife-physician relationship will work. Although physicians need not be present when midwives practice, he said a key question to be answered is the extent to which insurance companies will be willing to provide liability coverage for midwives.

Although medical association officials say they believe there will be no coverage for home births, Arnett said that will not be known until companies can be surveyed. Whatever the outcome of the survey, association officials predict that midwives still would be able to work in birthing centers and become important parts of obstetrical teams.

In other action announced by his office Tuesday, Wilson:

* Signed legislation granting the public access to the Legislature’s computer system, including agendas, analyses of bills and members’ voting records.

* Vetoed a bill that would have allowed the owners of the Hollywood Park racetrack to operate a card room in Inglewood. Wilson said the bill was too narrowly drawn and suggested that the issue be considered as part of a broader review of the state’s gambling laws.

* Signed legislation strengthening the ability of the California Coastal Commission to enforce the Coastal Act, giving the commission the power to levy fines of up to $30,000 for illegal development.

* Signed legislation establishing a commission to review the California Constitution with an eye toward improving the budget process. The 23-member panel will report back to the Legislature by Aug. 1, 1995.

* Signed a measure requiring Department of Fish and Game biologists and wardens to obtain a search warrant or permission from landowners, in most cases, before entering private property.

* Vetoed a bill that would have allowed the state to spend up to $5,300 per vehicle to buy, repair or replace privately owned older cars that are responsible for much of the smog in California’s urban areas. Wilson said he would consider the issue next year as part of an overhaul of the state’s smog check program.

* Signed a measure setting in state law the minimum price that producers can charge for milk. The law is intended to make milk prices more stable, but it was opposed by Consumers Union, which argued that the price of milk should be subject to the free market.