Fractured access to abortion sets a backdrop for upcoming Supreme Court ruling

Fractured access to abortion¹ sets a backdrop for upcoming Supreme² Court ruling

Transcript³

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Elizabeth Nash of the Guttmacher Institute about the state of abortion access in the U.S., ahead of a Supreme Court decision on a Mississippi abortion ban.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Over the weekend, Maryland joined 14 other states when it approved a bill that lets medical professionals other than physicians perform abortions⁴. Other states like Oklahoma have moved toward a near-total ban on abortions. The fractured access sets a backdrop for the Supreme Court as it moves closer to ruling on a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy⁵. It's a case that abortion rights defenders⁶ fear could undo⁷ the precedent⁸ set by Roe⁹ v. Wade¹⁰. Joining me now is Elizabeth Nash. She is with the Guttmacher Institute, where she's a principal policy associate following state reproductive rights policies. Elizabeth, good morning.

ELIZABETH NASH: Good morning.

FADEL: So is the apparent momentum¹¹ behind these state efforts to limit abortion access exclusively about the 6-to-3 conservative majority on the high court? Or is this an indication of a popular groundswell?

NASH: Well, really, what we have been seeing over decades is that state legislatures in particular have become more conservative, and so they've been passing abortion restrictions¹² for a very long time. What really has changed, though, is the Supreme Court. And so all eyes are on the Supreme Court, whether the states are conservative or progressive, and we're seeing that in what's happening right now, right? We're seeing how, you know, the Texas ban has gone into effect, how this Mississippi case is playing a huge role in what's happening in state legislatures. And so - right? So we're looking right now at Idaho. They passed a six-week abortion ban along the lines of Texas.

FADEL: Right.

NASH: You know, that's in court right now. We're seeing states like Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, all look at 15-week bans. Oklahoma is looking at a total ban. So, yes, the Supreme Court is playing an increasing - a very important role here as states look to further limit access to abortion care.

FADEL: And when it comes to access, is this a strict party-line battle?

NASH: It really has become so. You know, what you see in the conservative - really, Republican-controlled state legislatures is very different than what you see in the Democratically controlled legislatures. You know, like you were just talking about in Maryland, the bill that was just - had the veto override¹³, you know, it - yes, it allows advanced practice clinicians to provide abortions, like physician assistants and certified¹⁴ nurse midwives.

FADEL: Right.

NASH: But also, it sets up a fund to help train providers, and it ensures that health coverage¹⁵, whether it's public or private, covers abortion. You know, other states like California, Colorado - you're looking at states like Delaware, Oregon. All of them are moving bills to help protect abortion rights and abortion access, particularly if people are coming from other states.

FADEL: What's the role of the lower courts in these new restrictions?

NASH: You know, what we generally have been seeing over the past several years is that they are following Supreme Court precedent. They have been enjoining¹⁶ laws. It's when you start getting up to the appellate level - and then, of course, the Supreme Court is where we have been seeing abortion restrictions being upheld.

FADEL: Yeah.

NASH: And this is a real - this is a serious problem because the less access we have means that people's rights are being trampled¹⁷.

FADEL: So speaking about that, I mean, what are the real-life consequences for pregnant individuals who are confronted by this new legal environment?

NASH: Yeah. So, you know, let's look at Texas for a second. You know, Texas has a six-week ban in effect, as you were talking about with the Lizelle case. You know, that ban has meant that if possible - and not everyone can leave the state. If possible, people are leaving the state to access care. So if you go to Oklahoma before the six-week ban went into effect, you had a wait of maybe 2 to 3 days to get an appointment. Now those waits are looking at more like 3 to 4 weeks.

FADEL: Wow.

NASH: And many Texas patients are driving, perhaps, maybe up to a week from their home to the clinic and back. So what you're talking about is adding hundreds of dollars to the cost of an abortion. And abortion on average costs about $550. Then you're talking about taking this extended time off of work - that might not be possible if that is not paid for. So what do people do when they have these additional expenses and may not be able to get the time off? And of course, this obviously burdens people with low incomes and Black and brown people the most, who face the most difficulty in accessing health care.

FADEL: Yeah. Elizabeth Nash with the Guttmacher Institute. Thank you so much for your time.

NASH: Thank you.

1 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。

2 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。

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 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

5 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。

6 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

8 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

9 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？

10 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。

11 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

12 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

13 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

14 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

15 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

16 enjoining   

v.命令( enjoin的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Then enjoining him to keep It'strictly confidential, he told him the whole story. 叮嘱他严守秘密，然后把这事讲出来。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• The act or an instance of enjoining; a command, a directive, or an order. 命令的动作或例子；命令，指令或训谕。 来自互联网

17 trampled   

踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。
• People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。