美国国家公共电台 NPR--Adolescents faced obstacles getting abortions. The Supreme Court just made it harder

Adolescents faced obstacles getting abortions². The Supreme³ Court just made it harder

Transcript⁴

Before last week, adolescents seeking abortions in the U.S. already had to struggle through a thicket⁵ of legal hurdles⁶ and logistical challenges to access reproductive health care.

The Supreme Court decision striking down Roe⁷ v. Wade⁸ made it that much harder.

A number of states have already banned or severely⁹ restricted abortions in light of the ruling — laws that apply equally to adolescents and adults.

Young people who go out of state to seek abortions elsewhere in the U.S. may run up against laws requiring parental¹⁰ involvement, which are common across the country.

That's to say nothing of the unique logistical barriers young people face. Some adolescents aren't old enough to drive, and minors¹¹ can't buy a plane ticket. Bus companies also have age-based restrictions¹².

Some states allow medication abortion¹ to be prescribed via telehealth, in lieu of showing up for an appointment in person, but it's frequently unavailable to minors, experts say.

Finally, there's the cost. Young people who are still in school may not have enough money to pay for travel or the abortion itself. Even if they do, minors can't use some online payment services like PayPal or Venmo.

"Adolescents are going to be left with fewer options than adults," Julie Maslowsky, an associate professor of public health at the University of Illinois Chicago, told NPR.

"It will be difficult, stressful, harmful, and some adolescents will not be able to make the choice that they want to make," Maslowsky said.

Leading health groups say it's critical adolescents can access abortions

In 2019, women ages 19 and younger accounted for 8.9% of legal abortions in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, estimated that 12% of abortion patients in 2014 were under 20 years old.

"Adolescents get pregnant," Elizabeth Alderman, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Adolescence¹³, told NPR. "This has been a long-standing way of how things are in the United States and in all the countries in the world."

Since 1989, the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that pregnant adolescents are counseled on all of their options, including abortion.

The group reaffirmed that policy after last week's ruling, saying it supported its young patients' rights to "access comprehensive, evidence-based reproductive healthcare services, including abortion."

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology have said they oppose any restrictions on reproductive health care for adolescents, including bans on abortion.

Now, health experts worry the new restrictions on abortion will further harm adolescents who are already at a disadvantage when it comes to reproductive care.

Less than half of American adolescents receive comprehensive sexual education, according to Maslowsky of the University of Illinois Chicago, and it can be difficult for young people to access contraception.

Alderman also noted¹⁴ that adolescents are often still in school, have yet to reach their full income potential and face a higher risk of preterm labor¹⁵ and other pregnancy¹⁶ complications.

There can be added legal issues for minors seeking abortions

Adults in states with abortion bans or strict limits may seek reproductive care out of state. For adolescents, that presents legal hurdles.

Thirty-seven states require minors to either notify or obtain consent from a parent before they can get an abortion, according to the reproductive rights advocacy group If/When/How.

That's far more than the 26 states that are predicted to ban abortion after the fall of Roe, which means that young people going out-of-state for an abortion may not be able to get one in states that have offered themselves up as abortion refuges for adults.

"These barriers stack on top of each other to create real lack of access," Jessica Goldberg, senior youth access counsel at If/When/How, told NPR.

Research shows that more than 90% of adolescents involve an adult in their decision to get an abortion, according to Maslowsky, but others seek abortions on their own. And experts have expressed the need for minors to have the ability to access care confidentially¹⁷.

Almost all of the states with parental notification laws have what's called a "judicial¹⁸ bypass" process, which allows minors to go directly to a judge to obtain permission to get an abortion. (Maryland allows physicians to give permission for the procedure.)

But Goldberg says even the judicial bypass process is inadequate¹⁹ in many cases, because it forces young people to understand a complex legal system and can take time to complete.

"So not only do they have to travel, but they still have to manage navigating²⁰ the judicial bypass process in another state before they can access abortion care in that state," she said. "That's what I mean about these barriers really compounding or building on top of each other."

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 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

3 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。

4 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。

5 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

6 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

7 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？

8 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。

9 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

10 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

11 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 adolescence   

n.青春期，青少年

参考例句：

• Adolescence is the process of going from childhood to maturity.青春期是从少年到成年的过渡期。
• The film is about the trials and tribulations of adolescence.这部电影讲述了青春期的麻烦和苦恼。

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 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

16 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。

17 confidentially   

ad.秘密地，悄悄地

参考例句：

• She was leaning confidentially across the table. 她神神秘秘地从桌子上靠过来。
• Kao Sung-nien and Wang Ch'u-hou talked confidentially in low tones. 高松年汪处厚两人低声密谈。

18 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

19 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

20 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网