Board of Health,

For the protection of their patients, womens health clinics need the regulations that Virginia has imposed upon them. Abortion procedures are dangerous to a womans body and any woman undergoing such a procedure should have properly authorized medical personnel present because of the emergency complications that can arise. Parental consent should also be required for any minor considering these procedures. Such procedures can have life-long impacts on emotional health and on reproductive health, and a minor is in no position to have truly assessed all of those implications before choosing to undergo an abortion procedure. Particularly a minor who is faced with an unexpected pregnancy and is struggling with the implications that also brings. Protect the women and girls of Virginia and require safety regulations. Joy Oppman