To Whom it May Concern,

In my lifetime, I have been told repeatedly that, as an adult, you have to be responsible for your actions. That when there are consequences, you must step up and do what's needed. This is a simple concept, one I've understoond since childhood. To limit the ability of a woman, any woman, to take responsibility for herself, her actions and her life is to diminish her autonomy and render her a servant to someone else. It takes away her self-determination.

Virginia, a place I've happily called home for more than seven years, is trying to limit my ability to govern myself. While I don't feel I could ever personally make the choice to have an abortion, the right to make that decision stands solely and exclusively with me. Regulators, those elected to represent us when laws are made, should not and cannot take away my right to self-govern, and limiting access to abortion services would do just that.

Women who find themselves the victim of an attack should not be forced to carry a child to term as a constant reminder of their horrible experience. Making a woman carry that child is a form of torture. Trying to rid the commonwealth of these services is an abomination--- no services provided to men would EVER be outlawed.

The regulations under consideration in the TARP legislation threaten the continued availability of safe, legal first-trimester abortion and preventive reproductive health care in multiple locations throughout the state.

Extensive, burdensome requirements for clinic buildings that are unrelated to the services health centers provide and have no proven medical benefit will reduce or eliminate patient access to health care.

The regulations will increase the financial hurdles to health care for patients, with no proven medical benefit to patients. Women need more access to affordable, high quality health care, not less.

If regulations placed on women's health centers are based upon evidence-based medical practices that advance the public health, then women in the Commonwealth will be able to maintain access to vital health care from trusted medical providers.

Medically inappropriate and unnecessarily burdensome regulations would restrict access to essential health care services for the women of Virginia and further marginalize young, low-income, uninsured and minority women by decreasing their health care options.

The high standard of care provided by women's health centers is proven by their impressive safety record. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Over-regulation 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.