When I was a  young married and we were working poor, I got all my health care - physical exams, Pap smears, and birth control pills - from the Planned Parenthood clinic in Atlanta.  They helped make our future possible.  I know first-hand how important women's health clinics are.

Therefore, I support the Board of Health’s decision to amend the medically-unnecessary restrictions designed to close safe, trusted women’s health care centers in Virginia. As a person who is deeply committed to ensuring that all women have affordable access to safe, legal reproductive health care, I applaud the Board of Health’s decision to stop letting politics drive decisions that affect women’s health.

We all agree on the importance of ensuring patient health and safety, but the restrictions on women’s health care centers in Virginia don’t do that. Medical experts, including Dr. Karen Remley, the former Virginia Health Commissioner, and the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists oppose these restrictions because it’s clear that the restrictions have nothing to do with patient safety and everything to do with inserting a politician between a woman and her doctor.

Please continue to ensure that women in Virginia have access to health care.