To the Board: 

The following points should be considered regarding the proposed regulations for abortion procedures in the first trimester for clinical work in the Commonwealth:

 

 

• The proposed regulations are overly burdensome and unnecessary. They have no proven medical benefit 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 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 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.

Respectfully,

Matthew John Hammett

Reston, VA 20191

Northern Virginia Reproductive Association (NVRA)*

*-NVRA is an all voluntary association of Grassroots citizens that works to maintain clinically valid and sensible reproductive health alternatives are available to citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  We are a harm reduction organization and work to promote sensible policies and health options for all citizens.