PBS高端访谈:司法部反对联邦政府关于紧急避孕药裁决

 　　JEFFREY BROWN:And we return to the battle over emergency contraception, the so-called morning after pill.

　　It's been more than a decade since the pill was first approved by the FDA, but legal and political controversy¹ has swirled² ever since. In 2011, the FDA decided³ the drug should be available to all girls and women, without prescription⁴.

　　In an unprecedented⁵ action, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius quickly overruled the agency, keeping the age limit at 17 and older.

　　Last month, a federal judge ordered that restriction⁶ lifted in a strong rebuke⁷ to the administration.

　　And then, on Tuesday, the FDA set a new age limit, 15 and older, for the most popular version of the pill, known as Plan B One-Step. And last night, the Department of Justice said it will fight the federal judge's broader decision that the drug should be available to all girls and women.

　　Julie Rovner of NPR is here to help sort it all out.

　　And I hope you will, because it's complicated. Welcome back.

　　JULIE ROVNER, National Public Radio: Thank you.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:First, the latest decision from the Department of Justice, appealing the ruling by the judge, why? What are they saying?

　　JULIE ROVNER:Well, this is more of a process appeal, not so much a substance appeal.

　　They're saying the judge overstepped his abilities, that this has more to do with the way the FDA does its approval of drugs, and that he really -- the judge really didn't have the authority to order all drugs, that this was really simply about this one drug, the Plan B One-Step, and that really that he didn't -- he wasn't able to do what it is that he's trying to do, which is order all emergency contraceptives to be made available over the counter to women of all ages.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:And not only did he do that, but he did that in a very forceful way.

　　JULIE ROVNER:Yes, he did.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:A very -- put-down against the administration.

　　JULIE ROVNER:He did, indeed.

　　This has been going on since 2005. This judge has had this case before it through two administrations now, and he said that -- so he had strongly rebuked⁸ the Bush administration before and the Obama administration now for really sitting on this issue.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:OK, now, in the meantime this week, also, the FDA comes out with a -- yet a new plan, a sort of compromise? Or how did -- what are they doing?

　　JULIE ROVNER:You know, they had this had nothing to do with the judge's order, but it's really hard to square that with the fact that they had been sitting on this drug application from the pharmaceutical⁹ company, Teva Pharmaceutical, since 2011.

　　So -- and yet it comes four days before the deadline to act. And it did, as you mentioned, reduce the age of -- for people who do have to have a prescription down to 14, basically, so people, women 15 and up could get it without a prescription.

　　Something very important, though, that would change also under what the FDA did, before, because there was this split ruling where some people had to have a prescription and some didn't, you had to get the product from behind the pharmacy¹⁰ counter. You had to go and ask someone at the pharmacy, either the pharmacist or a pharmacy clerk for it, which meant you could only get it when the pharmacy was open. You had to show I.D.

　　Now they're saying that it can be sold on the shelves of retail¹¹ stores that have pharmacies¹². So, you won't be able to get it at a convenience store, but you will be able to get it at a Target, or a Wal-Mart, or a grocery store that has a pharmacy. So, that will make it more available.

　　But, still, you will have to show I.D. to a cashier. There will be literally¹³ a chip embedded¹⁴ that when you go to ring it up, it will tell the cashier, I.D. must be shown and you must be 15 or older.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:Now, as we heard in Judy's segment, the president is in Mexico. He's speaking right now at a press conference. And so I'm just seeing that he was asked about this. And he said, "I'm comfortable with the FDA decision allowing girls 15 and up to buy the pill."

　　Now, that's an interesting question, because it's not clear, quite clear. The FDA is over here, the Department of Justice over here. The administration is over here.

　　JULIE ROVNER:Well, that's not really a surprise, because, remember, when the FDA wanted to take off all the age restrictions¹⁵, they were overruled by Sec. Sebelius, who said she was uncomfortable with taking off the age restrictions because of very young teenagers. And by very young, she said there wasn't enough information on perhaps the 13- and 14-year-olds.

　　She was immediately backed up by the president, who, remember, has two young teenagers of his own, and I think there was concern about those very young teens. So I'm not surprised that both the president and presumably Sec. Sebelius, who we haven't heard from, would be comfortable with 15 and up. Now, the concern that women's health groups have about this is that these 15- and 16-year-olds, who this has now been extended to, a lot of them won't have I.D.

　　Remember, they're mostly too young to drive. They said they can present a passport or a birth certificate. It's unlikely that that's something that they will be walking around with either.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:Yes.

　　Well, as we said, this has been politically fought for a long time, so where does that leave the politics right now? Who is happy and who is not happy? Is anybody happy?

　　JULIE ROVNER:I don't think anybody is happy.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:Right.

　　JULIE ROVNER:I think the people who really didn't want this to be made more available, some of the more conservative Christian¹⁶ groups, don't like it at all. The women's health groups want all of the restrictions removed.

　　The administration sort of wants no part of this. And, remember, you have now got the Justice Department representing the FDA. Well, we know that the FDA's position was originally to remove all restrictions.

　　So, it's really hard to know who wants what right now.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:And what does happen next?

　　JULIE ROVNER:Well, they go before the judge. The judge has just given a few extra days to argue about whether or not they will get a stay in this order.

　　Remember, the judge has ordered the FDA to remove all restrictions, originally by next Monday. So now they're going to argue about whether or not the judge is going to stay this order while this is being appealed.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:And let me just ask you briefly¹⁷, do we know -- in the meantime, the use of the morning after pill, do we know, is it growing? Has it stabilized¹⁸?

　　JULIE ROVNER:There has been some more use, but, again, there have been these barriers, as I mentioned, not just for younger women, but for older women who have had trouble getting it because it's been kept behind the pharmacy counter, and there have been difficulties with it.

　　JEFFREY BROWN:All right, Julie Rovner of NPR, thanks so much.

　　JULIE ROVNER:Thank you.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

5 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

6 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

7 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

8 rebuked   

责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures. 公司因忽略了安全规程而受到公开批评。
• The teacher rebuked the boy for throwing paper on the floor. 老师指责这个男孩将纸丢在地板上。

9 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

10 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

11 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

12 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

13 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

14 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

15 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

16 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

17 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

18 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》