Board of Health,

My first wife had an abortion 40 years ago. It was a devastating process that few should have to go through and it has had a lasting effect on both of us. That said, after the abortion in a doctors office, my wife started bleed badly and having abdominal pains. It was during a weekend and we searched for a doctor and/or a clean clinic. 40 years ago not to many were excited about helping because of the abortion part being frowned upon. Fast forward to today I am an automation engineer and have seen process chemical plant sites that are cleaner and have to follow stricter guide lines than medical or abortion clinics. (At times i WOULD RATHER GO INTO A HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL AREA OR WASTE DUMP SITE THAN GO INTO SOME OF THE CLINICS I HAVE SEEN IN THE MEDIA OR HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN IN, when installing equipment.) Today with the new equipment and cleansers there is no reason why any clinic would fail basic cleanliness standards, unless they are just to cheap and or lazy to purchase supplies and clean.In just two years, inspections have exposed widespread health and safety violations including blood splattered exam tables and equipment, unsterilized needles, incomplete lifesaving equipment, violations of Virginia parental consent laws, an absence of reporting of possible cases of child abuse, and many more deficiencies.Those who make the decision to have an abortion should be able to have it done in an environment that meets basic health and safety standards, is clean, and where the staff is trained. These health and safety standards simply ensure that abortion centers meet common sense standards of care to ensure womens health is paramount.The abortion industry claims to be safe, but 300 health and safety violations prove otherwise. It is an industry whose opinion cannot be trusted on any of the standards, including those involving construction.Emergencies happen frequently at abortion centers and emergency personnel need to be able to get to patients in need and that involves having doorways and hallways wide enough to get emergency equipment to women in medical crisis.Planned Parenthood alone is a $1 billion industry. It has the money to bring its abortion centers into compliance with these reasonable health and safety standards. It simply has to choose if it is going to spend it on womens health instead of political campaigns. Dennis Gronka