We all share a desire to ensure women's health and safety. Unfortunately, the restrictions on abortion providers approved by the Board of Health do no such thing. Instead, they ignore the advice of medical experts and professionals in favor of ideological and politically motivated restrictions designed to shut down women's health centers. Tens of thousands of Virginia women rely on health centers every year to access a range of quality reproductive care, including family planning and birth control services, STD and STI testing, pap smears, preventative care, and abortion services. Retaining medically unnecessary and burdensom restrictions designed to shut down women's health centers will limit women, especially low-income women's, access to quality and trusted care providers. This in no way ensures women's health and safety. Rather, shutting down health centers over onerous requirements governing parking lots and awnings threatens women's health by cutting off access to quality providers and preventative care. 

The current restrictions should be rescinded and rewritten. In rewriting these regulations, the Board should rely on the advice of medical professionals and experts and eschew ideological and political considerations.