It seems pretty clear that the purpose of these burdensome regulations is to shut down and make access to safe abortions more difficult, especially for poor people and those who live where access to other facilities is limited.

But the regulations do more than that. They are unnecessary, having no proven medical benefit, especially not making abortions safer (they are already among the safest of procedures, even in the subject facilities) and will limit access to other health care.

Those facilities that remain open, meeting these requirements, will have to pass on the expenses of doing so to their clients. Young, low-income or uninsured women need more, not less health care.

Amnesty International has documented that maternal mortality is higher in the United States than in all but one other developed country. Making access to health care for all such women more difficult, not only might reduce access to abortion but would also probaly make our maternal mortality rates even worse. How could anyone favor that side effect?

Access to other kinds of health care for women, including life-saving cancer screenings, family planning, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment will be reduced.

I believe the overall quality of health care in Virginia will be harmed by the proposed regulations and that, instead, the regulations should be based only on medicine and science and should not impede women's access to essential health care.