The regulations threaten the continued availability of safe, legal first-trimester abortion and preventive reproductive health care in multiple locations throughout the state.   These regulations are extensive, burdensome requirements for clinic buildings that are unrelated to the services health centers provide and have no proven medical benefit except to reduce or eliminate patient access to health care.

These regulations increase the financial hurdles to health care for patients, with no proven medical benefit to the patient. Women need more access to affordable, high quality health care, not less.  Regulations placed on women’s health care centers need to be based upon evidence-based medical practices that advance public health, then the women of Virginia will be able to maintain access vital health care from trusted medical provides.  Medically inappropriate and unnecessarily burdensome regulations restrict access to essential health care services for women and further marginalize young, low-income, uninsured and minority women by decreasing their health care options.  Their impressive safety record proves the high standard of care provided by women’s health centers. 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. 

It is my hope that the regulations will be amended to be based purely on medicine and science and should not impede women's access to essential health care.