I am writing with comments to the permanent health centers regulations, specifically those that are intended for women’s health centers. I am dismayed that our state government appears to be talking out of both sides of its mouth. On the one hand, that state government purports to be about less-intrusive business regulations, and indeed has filed suit to prevent the implementation of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, maintaining that the Federal government should not interfere with Virginians’ doctor-patient relationships. Yet on the other hand, that same government is content to do just that by dictating medically unneccessary and burdensome regulations.

These regulations do nothing to protect patient safety; rather, they are a back door attempt to restrict access to a safe, legal medical procedure. The regulations 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.

Ultimately, it is my hope that the Board not bow to political pressure and that the regulations will be amended to be based purely on medicine and science. They should not impede women's access to essential health care.