I am a Board-certified OB/GYN who has come before the Board of Medicine on this topic in the past and who is providing comment once again.   As a physician and a reproductive health expert, I understand first-hand how these regulations affect my patients and I.  Not in Virginia, nor anywhere else in the US, has there ever been a proven and medically-justifiable reason for regulating abortion providers like hospitals. The Whole Women's Health decision by the Supreme Court already ruled on this issue.   Most recently the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a detailed report, based on scientific evidence, outlining the safety of abortion care.  Ninety-five percent of abortions are provided in clinics and other office based settings and yet the serious complication rate of abortions is less than 1%, in the absence of these facility regulations.  These regulations do not improve safety or health outcomes but what they do instead is create burdens for patients and providers and limit access to care for the most marginalized members of our communities.  I ask that the Board once again put medicine above politics and promulgate regulations that are consistent with medical best-practice, adhere to legal guidelines, and protect abortion access in Virginia.