Women deserve the best & safest health care we can provide.  Abortion facility regulations are essential for the health & safety of Virginia women & must be maintained, not weakened!  The abortion industry has fought regulation for years yet repeatedly, independent inspectors find serious deficiencies, even during announced inspections.  Women deserve better!!  Since the complications of abortion can be quite serious, not to mention fatal, abortion facilities must adhere to the regulatory standards of other healthcare facilities.  Virginia women deserve nothing less!  

Here are a few changes I recommend the Board consider:

1. Reinstate all of the health & safety measures the Board 'relaxed' during its last amendment process.

2. Require all Office of Licensure & Certification (OLC) inspectors to verify that ultrasounds have been performed at least 24 hours priior to every abortion performed.

3. Require annual inspections on abortion facilities instead of biennial.

4. Remove the ability of the Commissioner to grant permanent variances.

5. Reinstate the definition of "first trimester" as being the first twelve weeks from conception, not "13 weeks and  days after the last mentrual period".

6. Reinstate the ability of the department to deny, suspend, or revoke the license to operate an abortion facility for violating "any provision of Article 1 (~ 32.1-123 et seq.) of Chapet 5 of Title 32.1."

7. Reinstate the requirement that the abortion facility ensures that it has removed all of the fetal body parts from inside of the female patient upon the performance of an abortion. 

8. Reinstate the requirement that abortion facilities report to OLC any incidents reported to the malpractice insurance carrier.

9. Reinstate the reasonable design & construction standards that provided for things such as hallways wide enough to carry patients out on stretchers in cases of emergency.

Thank you for your consideration.  Please ensure the health & safety of all women.