Several states are proposing new restrictions on abortion pills

Several states are proposing new restrictions¹ on abortion² pills

　　Transcript³

　　As access to abortion in medical facilities becomes more limited across parts of the country, many patients are turning to abortion pills. Conservative state lawmakers are taking notice.

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　As access to abortion in medical facilities becomes more limited across parts of the country, many patients are turning to abortion pills. As NPR's Sarah McCammon reports, conservative state lawmakers are taking notice.

　　SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE⁴: For most of the almost 50 years since the Roe⁵ v. Wade⁶ Supreme⁷ Court decision legalized abortion nationwide, clinics have been the focus of the battle over abortion rights. Protesters gather outside on sidewalks. And Republican state lawmakers try to regulate what happens inside through laws restricting which health care providers can perform abortions⁸, the kind of counseling required and which procedures are allowed. But now more than half of abortions are taking place with pills.

　　RACHEL K JONES: For a lot of people, having the option of having an abortion in the privacy and comfort of their own home is appealing.

　　MCCAMMON: Rachel K. Jones is a research scientist with the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. According to data released by Guttmacher earlier this year, abortion pills, not surgical⁹ procedures, accounted for 54% of abortions in 2020. That makes medication abortion the dominant¹⁰ choice in the United States for the first time since the Food and Drug Administration approved an abortion pill more than 20 years ago.

　　JONES: In some states, the pills can be mailed to people. So they don't have to travel to the clinic to get the medication.

　　MCCAMMON: During the pandemic, the FDA relaxed rules requiring the drugs to be dispensed¹¹ in person, making it easier for patients to get a medication abortion through telehealth. The Biden administration recently made those changes permanent. And now Republican lawmakers in several states are pushing back. In South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem recently signed legislation designed to restrict access to the drugs. Planned Parenthood says similar restrictions have been introduced in two dozen states this year, some of which would ban the pills altogether if Roe v. Wade is overturned. In Georgia, Republican State Senator Bruce Thompson sponsored a bill banning abortion pill delivery by mail and requiring doctors to examine patients in person before prescribing them.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　BRUCE THOMPSON: SB 456 seeks to protect the cherished doctor-patient relationship.

　　MCCAMMON: That position is at odds¹² with that of major medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, who have long supported easing access to the pills and called for lifting the in-person dispensing¹³ requirement. Thompson opposes abortion rights. But he claims this bill is all about patient safety.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　THOMPSON: Why would we not do everything within our power to protect women's health and safety during this difficult time in their lives?

　　MCCAMMON: But opponents say the bill could make patients less safe. During floor debate, several lawmakers noted¹⁴ that Georgia is among the states with the highest rates of maternal¹⁵ mortality, and that those death rates are dramatically higher for Black women. State Senator Kim Jackson, a Democrat¹⁶, noted that many people, particularly in rural areas, lack access to pregnancy¹⁷ care.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　KIM JACKSON: And what's really cruel about this bill is that those who are already the most vulnerable are the ones who are most likely to be burned by this injustice¹⁸, people who are poor, people who live in rural communities, people of color.

　　MCCAMMON: The bill passed Georgia State Senate and is awaiting a vote in the House. K AG Baby Yee is a Georgia based advocate with the reproductive rights group URGE.

　　K AGBEBIYI: As soon as the FDA made medication abortion more accessible, Georgia pretty much turned around and was like, no. We actually want to make it really difficult for people to get them.

　　MCCAMMON: Agbebiyi says medication abortion may become the only option for a growing number of people in states where clinics are few and far between because of abortion restrictions.

　　AGBEBIYI: We know and our opponents know that medication abortion is going to grow in popularity if Roe was overturned. And that's precisely¹⁹ why they're trying to put as many barriers in place as possible.

　　MCCAMMON: It's more difficult to put up barriers on the internet, where abortion pills are available through mail-order pharmacies²⁰ and other groups. Ushma Upadhyay, a reproductive health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, says if states try to block access to abortion pills, patients will find them online without a doctor's help.

　　USHMA UPADHYAY: And people will be using it on their own without clinical support. That is what I'm concerned about. It is extremely safe. But all patients should have access to clinical support if they need it, if they have questions about how to take it or whether what's happening is normal.

　　MCCAMMON: Meanwhile, some states are trying to make access to medication abortion easier. A bill moving forward in Delaware would allow a wider array of health care providers to prescribe the pills to their patients.

　　Sarah McCammon, NPR News.

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

6 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

9 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

10 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

11 dispensed   

v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• Not a single one of these conditions can be dispensed with. 这些条件缺一不可。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage. 他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

13 dispensing   

v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes. 配镜师为你提供眼镜，但不检查眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

16 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

17 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

18 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

19 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

20 pharmacies   

药店

参考例句：

• Still, 32 percent of the pharmacies filled the prescriptions. 但仍然有32%的药剂师配发了这两张药方。 来自互联网
• Chinese herbal pharmacies, and traditional massage therapists in the Vancouver telephone book. 中药店，和传统的按摩师在温哥华的电话簿里。 来自互联网