The Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) is nothing more than a politically-driven method to restrict a woman's legally protected right to have an abortion. These regulations are driven by ideology rather than health and safety concerns. The recommendations of qualified medical experts were disregarded in favor of religion-driven requirements for costly building modifications that are not medically necessary, in a blatant attempt to force abortion providers to close their facilities if they could not afford these unneeded renovations.

If these regulations are so necessary for patient safety, then why are the only clinics being "targeted" those that provide abortion services?  My children were put under general anesthesia when they had outpatient surgery in an oral surgeon's office park facility that would not have met any of the TRAP provisions, and that was a much more invasive procedure with more risk of complications than an abortion. It was not even handicapped accessible.  Yet I see no one rushing to force him to either renovate his office or close down in the name of patient safety. 

These TRAP regulations are just a blatant ploy to force the closure of clinics that provide abortion services.  And since most, if not all, such clinics also provide essential well-woman healthcare to lower income women who otherwise would not have access to the everyday healthcare most of us take for granted, forcing these clinics to close will actually cause direct harm to patient health and safety.  Stop playing religious politics with women's personal, private healthcare decisions.  Get rid of TRAP regulations.   

Suzanne Tillman