As a voter, a resident of Virginia, a scientist and a woman, I oppose TRAP legislation and similar bills introduced to limiting womens access to inexpensive health care. For a large part of my adult life I have been a student, first during my undergraduate degree then during my Master's and now during my Ph.D. work. During those years, I have relied extensively on womens heath care centers, like Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, well-woman visits and birth control. The proposed new building codes will unnecessarily burden clinics, causing them to close. This in turn directly affects womens access to lifesaving cancer screeings, for access to inexpensive antibiotics in the event of an infection and also has no bearing WHATSOEVER on improving the care women receive at those locations. 

Limiting clinics is a direct attack kon women everywhere and especially on lower income women who generally rely on PP and other clinics for their healthcare. Greater access to healthcare is needed for all Virginia women, not less and certainly not zero access. Evidence-based medicine is the current standard in the US and only changes that increase the standard of care and not those that are procedural should ever be considered by the legislature. Hopefully, any upcoming changes to womens health clinics will be along the lines of increasing funding and support for the women of Virginia.