I ask the Board of Health to amend Title 12, Agency 5, Chapter 412, Regulations for Licensure of Abortion Facilities. These regulations are too extreme for Virginia, and show callous disregard for the health of Virginia women. VA laws currently are based on politics, not health care concerns. Please overrule the ridiculous requirements placed on clinics, that will result in shutting them down. Decisions should be between a woman and her doctor, not the VA legislature. As currently written, the regulations are scientifically unsound, inappropriate for offices in which first trimester abortion is performed, and based on politics, not science. It is now the responsibility of the Board to ensure that amendments to the regulations reflect sound science, medical best practices, and the realities of the incredibly safe first trimester abortion procedure.
Thank you