In an attempt to undermine Roe v. Wade, anti-choice activists have been promoting Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws. These laws purport to promote maternal health and safety but in fact simply add to the cost--sometimes prohibitively--of providing abortion services, with no medical justification.

TRAP legislation is part of an anti-choice strategy to make a woman's right to choose a negative option by making the procedure appear to be dangerous when in fact abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed today. While purporting to protect and help women, TRAP laws instead seek to impede women from receiving adequate reproductive health care by regulating abortion providers out of business.

In Virginia, anti-choice legislators frequently propose TRAP legislation in an effort to close clinics in Virginia.