Dear Board of Health members,

I am a board certified family practice physician living in Alexandria, VA.  My 30 years in healthcare included over 20 years as a practicing physician in the US Air Force, to include defending the rights and freedoms of Americans overseas during peace and war.  During that time I saw how restrictions on reproductive services negatively impacted many women. 

I firmly believe that the proposed recommendations for facilities that provide abortion services are completely unreasonable from a patient safety perspective and unsupported by evidence based medicine.  I write this as someone who was involved in Department of Defense Patient Safety and Clinical Quality programs for more than 15 years, as well as 3 years service on the Health Services Agency of Northern Virginia.

It is clear that the proposed regulations are an attempt to restrict currently Constitutionally protected rights.  I hope that the Board of Health can make decisions unaffected by political agenda, and make recommendations to the Governor that are consistent with national Standards of Care.

When I retired from the Air Force, my wife and I decided that Virginia is where we want to stay.  We hope that the Commonwealth will remain the bastion of freedom that it has been since the days of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.

Sincerely,
Michael W. Spatz, MD
Alexandria, VA