Board of Health,

After many years as the Director of a ministry that often interfaces with family problems, I feel a special passion to see that women are treated to the optimum health care and feel that the services offered now are so minimal that they amount to a callous disregard for abortion recipients in that they do not deal with more than a quick expunging of the unwanted child whereas the scope of the issues involved are massive. Since the state of Virginia at present offers only a minimum of protection in the abortion process, the reduction of even that minimal care would amount to a criminal disregard of those involved. Virginia has always been at the forefront of health and social issues and to see it turn away from that now would represent a new and very dangerous trend toward the sort of gross lack of medical standards we have seen in other states in past years in many cases, the most noteworthy of which is the Kermit Gosnell case but not excluding many others that garnered less publicity. Especially with the declining standards of cleanliness and excellence we have seen in other localities, to abandon ours now would present an unacceptable new trend in Virginia for public health. Not only is the specific population of the abortion industry involved here, but also the general population in that such a delicate procedure performed without stringent standards would leave the door open for a widespread contamination should a particular epidemic manifest and set a new low in care for surgical procedures. In addition, this trend would impact other sectors of the Health Care landscape producing a regrettable danger to the populace at large if it reflected the callous attitude that these propositions promote. As the daughter of a pediatrician and a pioneer in the health care of indigent children as well as the niece of one of the founders of the Occupational Rehabilitation field and various ministers and others who have dealt with this, my family has been deeply committed to the issues involving health care, the poor and Virginias responsibility to maintain the very best standards for her citizens especially those who cannot protect themselves. Rather than reduce standards, I would be deeply gratified to see them increased. In my practice with survivors of the abortion process, I see many problems and crises produced by it that are never even considered. If anything, they are swept under the table and an effort is made to say that they do not exist. In addition, having waged war in political and legal issues, I am horrified at the opportunity that abortion presents---and often provides---for the child molester or rapist to protect himself with the convenience of abortion. It would be a major step forward if DNA tests were required of all fetal tissue to see if there was a familial link that meant the abortion concealed child abuse. I deeply regret that this issue has been so polarized around political stances that it no longer attempts to deal with the complex social, legal and moral issues that abortion raises. I believe that a valid position might also be taken for the recording of the number of abortions a party has had since when I counsel someone with 21 abortions, I see that the person is the victim of many other issues and that ought to be tracked as a matter of public health especially in the mental health area. I thank you for the opportunity to present these issues and believe that you will do the best thing for Virginia and our people. Sincerely, Joy Hurt Eyer Joy Eyer