Board of Health,

As a life long citizen of the Commonwealth of VA. I am compelled to express my deep concern for the possible overturn of current health and safety regulations for abortion clinics by the Va. Board of Health. This Board is charged with making absolutely certain that a womans health is of primary importance when she chooses to go to an abortion clinic. To state that the current safety standards are either too rigorous or are unnecessary is to ignore the facts and disregard common sense.In the past two years, inspections of abortion clinics have spotlighted 300 safety and health violations. The women going to these clinics are undergoing medical procedures that demand the utmost sanitary conditions. Left to police themselves, numerous clinics throughout VA have already shown they let the "bottom line" dictate what they will and will not do to insure a womans health and safety. Yes, this is an emotionally charged arena, but women of VA. are depending on this Board to move beyond emotion, beyond rhetoric, beyond political pressure and do the right thing - maintain the current health and safety standards for the abortion clinics in the Commonwealth. Thomas L. Watson