Board of Health,

Thank you for the important work you do to protect the health and safety of all Virginia citizens. Your time and talents are invaluable to all of us who depend on your good judgment.

Dear Members of the Board of Health,

The decision to issue a NOIRA on the abortion center regulations at your December 4, 2014 meeting is premature and unnecessary. The strongest possible abortion center regulations are essential for the health and safety of Virginia women and must be maintained. Health department inspectors have uncovered hundreds of health and safety violations. These violations include improper hand washing procedures and blood splatter on instruments and examination tables and abortions on minors without documented informed consent. Recent inspections also revealed significant abuse as an abortion center recorded an incredibly high number of complications from attempted chemical abortions with RU-486. The abortion industry has fought regulation for years, yet repeatedly independent inspectors find serious deficiencies, even during announced inspections. Abortion centers are not able to self-regulate. Abortion is not healthcare because it ends lives instead of healing them. However, since abortion operates within the healthcare system, abortion centers must adhere to the regulatory standards of other healthcare facilities. Simply, Virginia women deserve nothing less. Thank you for considering my perspective on this important matter.

A Virginian cannot even get teeth cleaning done without proper procedures in place, the documented degree of the dental assistant and several other regulations imposed by the state. A medical procedure as complicated as an abortion must also be subject to strict regulations imposed by the state -- for the safety and welfare of the woman who is about to undergo this procedure. Alicia Brittle