The standards implemented by the Virginia Board of Health were not done on a whim or for political ideology.  This was an arduous two-year process which included ample debate on both sides of the issue.   Abortion centers need to be treated like outpatient surgical centers to protect women.

Visitors to these abortion centers would expect to find medicines properly administered sanitary conditions and a place where if there was a medical emergency, medical personnel could get a gurney through the door in order to save a life.  Sadly, before the abortion standards were initiated, there was no way to know if abortion centers were safe because there weren’t inspections and there weren’t records maintained.

Initial inspections by public health officials found spilled blood and fetal remains in the bottom of a freezer in one center.  In another, the solution to clean the medical instruments was not changed every time, and the sponge used to wash the instruments was cleaned only once per week.  The inspections revealed over 80 violations, despite the abortion centers being notified about the inspection dates.  Clearly it is imperative for the safety of women who visit these centers to maintain the current standards.