Hello, I just wanted to speak up on behalf of myself, and the other women in my life.  We rely on the services provided by the Planned Parenthood clinic in Richmond for our health.  I had my first annual exam there - they screened me for cancer, gave me a prescription for birth control, and gave me the option to continue receiving the medication at a lower price when my parents lost their insurance.  I received better and more comprehensive care there than at Patient First, and at a very reasonable cost - and there was nothing dangerous to my health at the facility.

In a recession economy, in a city where there are many just scraping by, we don't have insurance, we don't have stable jobs.  The prevention and care that facilities like these provide is not only helpful, but vital to our health, our families, and our community.  The education, condoms, and birth control they give help prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions from even happening, and stop the spread of disease.  They give prenatal care so more babies are born. They provide women's reproductive health care so mothers, wives, and daughters can LIVE.  These regulations are unnecessary for a safe environment for all of this to happen in - and would force these buildings to close down, or relocate at tremendous cost.  I need my clinic in Richmond, and so do many other women - multiply us by the number of other clinics that would close in Virginia.  Almost all of them would be shut down.

Please don't be mislead.  This law was not designed to make abortions safer - it will make them nearly impossible, and instead put women already in worse financial condition in more danger for disease.  Please listen to the guidance of the HEALTH community, and not ignore them for the sake of an ideology - doing so sacrifices the health of thousands of Virginia women.