To Whom it May Concern:

What do 5-foot wide hallways, new covered front entrances, janitors closets, staff showers, and an increased number of parking spaces have to do with women’s health and safety? Nothing. Stop these completely unnecessary restrictions which are limiting women's access to healthcare. 

The Board of Health must repeal and rewrite the current regulations of women’s health centers to protect women’s health and preserve access to comprehensive reproductive care. Current regulations of Virginia women’s health centers are about politics, not medicine. Doctors, health care professionals, and a majority of Virginians oppose these regulations. If the regulations are not repealed and rewritten, tens of thousands of Virginia women and families will lose access to critical medical care. The current burdensome and medically-unnecessary regulations will close women’s health centers, restricting access to the comprehensive health care these centers provide, like critical cancer screenings and birth control, including abortion. I urge the Commissioner and Board of Health to rescind these politicized restrictions and begin drafting new regulations that rely on evidence-based medicine.

Kelsey Harrington