Dear Virginia Department of Health,

As a Virginia resident and business owner in the Commonwealth I have attended hearings on this issue and am now writing you to state my opposition to TRAP regulations.  TRAP regulations exceed the regulations placed on any other type of medical treatment facility in the Commonwealth, including those that provide services such as plastic surgery.

TRAP regulations are clearly designed to place undue burdens on women's health facilities, thereby restricting Virginia women's access to constitutionally protected health care services.

TRAP regulations are politically motivated by groups attempting to limit women's access to health care, further burdening women and their families who must lose wages and time away from work to travel long distances to receive the health care they need.

It is restrictions such as TRAP and other efforts to restrict women's access to healthcare that makes Virginia less competitive in attracting businesses, jobs, and the revenue they generate.  Companies will continue to choose other states to locate where their workers can enjoy a high quality of life that includes constitutionally protected freedom of choice in healthcare.

Sincerely yours,

Laura Mandala