Today I joined the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health and Rep. Gerry Connolly to sign a petition urging Governor Bob McDonnell to reject recently-approved regulations for health centers in Virginia that provide abortion services.
Following passage of Virginia Senate Bill 924, the Virginia Board of Health approved a set of regulations last month that would essentially classify health centers providing abortion services as hospitals.
Under this classification, Virginia’s 23 existing health centers providing abortion services will be forced to abide by a strict set of guidelines, such as mandating the width of hallways, the size of rooms, and even the number of parking spaces.
These facilities do not have the financial resources to modify their space. Further, the regulations have nothing to do with patient care or safety.
The Supreme Court ruled on this issue decades ago and it is time for government to step back and let these discussions be made by a woman, in consultation with her doctor.
Regardless of your view on abortion, the impact of these regulations on comprehensive women’s health care will be great. Women’s health centers that provide services to young, minority, low-income and uninsured women could close because of an inability to meet regulations that have nothing to do with women’s health and safety. The health of Virginia’s women should hold higher priority over a political agenda.
This effort to eliminate access to women’s reproductive rights runs contrary to the intent of the Supreme Court’s constitutional ruling. These unfair regulations now sit on the desk of Governor McDonnell. We call on the Governor to listen to the thousands of Virginians who signed this petition in support of women across the Commonwealth faced with difficult decisions related to their reproductive health. I welcome you to join the effort by signing the petition online at: http://www.coalitionforwomensh…
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