Years of inspection reports have produced evidence of hundreds of egregious safety violations inside Virginia abortion centers. Most were reported under the McAuliffe administration’s own oversight. One abortion center was  closed after Governor McAuliffe’s own Commissioner of Health suspended its license after a 70-page report of violations.

I urge the Board of Health to implement strong measures to protect the health of women who desire abortions. This industry needs strong safety measures.  (Have you seen the movie about the late term abortionist Kermit Gosnelll?)

If a woman wants an abortion, she should receive the same care she would receive if she chose to have any other elective surgery.  She deserves follow up treatment and counseling if she needs it.  Please strengthen the laws that regulate the abortion industry.  Please don't allow people to feather their pockets and grow rich by providing subpar services under the guise that women are being denied services when the truth is that the abortion industry doesn't want to pay to provide quality services.  Look at the profits of Planned Parenthood if you have any doubt.

Here are some suggestions on ways to protect and support women who choose to abort their babies:

1. Reinstate all of the health and safety measures the Board unlawfully watered down during its last amendment process. 
2. Require all OLC inspections to verify that ultrasounds have been performed at least 24 hours prior 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 6 days after last menstrual 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 Chapter 5 of Title 32.1."
7. Reinstate the requirement that abortion facilities provide information on post-abortion counseling to its patients.
8. Reinstate the requirement that the abortion facility ensure that it has removed all of the fetal body parts from inside of the female patient upon the performance of an abortion. 
9. Reinstate the requirement that abortion facilities report to OLC any incidents reported to the malpractice insurance carrier.
10. Reinstate the reasonable design and construction standards that provided for things such as hallways wide enough to carry patients out on stretchers in cases of emergency.

Thank you for listening to my concerns and suggestions, and may God grant you wisdom in your deliberations.

Christa duVon