To whom it may concern:

I write to express my opposition to the proposed permanent regulations on licensing abortion clinics.

I believe that the proposed regulations are overly burdensome and unnecessary.  Indeed, there is no proven medical benefit from the draft regulations and will only serve to reduce or eliminate patient access to health care.

Women in Virginia need more access to affordable, high quality health care, not less.  The draft regulations will increase the financial burden on patients and decrease patients' health care options thereby marginalizing young, low-income, and uninsured women.

Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures.   Instead of improving safety, these politically-driven regulations will limit access to a wide range of preventive reproductive health care services provided by women's health clinics, including life-saving cancer screenings, family planning, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

The regulations should be based solely on medicine and science and should not impede women's access to essential health care.  Please keep politics, religion and personal views out of regulation of health care.

Thank you for your consideration of these views.