I am calling on you to reject the proposed women's health center regulations.These regulations threaten the continued availability of safe, legal first-trimester abortion and preventive reproductive health care in multiple locations throughout the state. These extensive, burdensome requirements for clinic buildings, not required for other clinics, are unrelated to the services health centers provide and have no proven medical benefit, and they will reduce or eliminate women's access to basic health care services.The regulations will increase the financial hurdles to health care for women, with no proven medical benefit to them. Women need more access to affordable, high quality health care, not less.

 

These regulations would cause most, if not all, rural clinics to be closed. I had had an ectopic AND a cornual pregnancy while in my 30s. Luckily, I was near enough to Reston Hospital to be treated. If I had been in a rural location with no clinics for either of these pregnancies, I would have died before getting to a facility that could treat me. Is that the intent of these regulations?

 

Medically inappropriate and unnecessarily burdensome regulations would restrict access to essential health care services for the women of Virginia and further marginalize young, low-income, uninsured, rural, and minority women by decreasing their health care options.

 

The high standard of care provided by women's health centers is proven by their impressive safety record. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Overregulation 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. 

 

Any amendments to current regulations must be based purely on medicine and science and should not impede women's access to essential health care. Any amendments should be consistent with requiremensts for all other meduical clinics. To do otherwise would be harmful and discriminatory to women. Again I ask, is that the intent?