VOA慢速英语--美国大学在要求学生接种疫苗问题上存分歧

US Colleges Divided Over Requiring Student Vaccinations²

American colleges and universities hope to return to pre-COVID life in the autumn. Some schools are urging students to get the vaccine³ but others are wondering if they should or legally could require it.

Colleges and universities that plan to return to in-person teaching have launched campaigns to get students vaccinated⁴ before the summer.

Universities including Rutgers, Brown, Cornell and Northeastern recently told students they must get vaccinated before returning to classes in the autumn. They hope to reach herd⁵ immunity⁶ among the student population. They believe it would permit them to lift space restrictions⁷.

"It takes away any ambiguity⁸ about whether individuals should be vaccinated," said Kenneth Henderson. He is the head of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

He added that making sure students are vaccinated will tell the surrounding town or city that "we are taking all appropriate measures."

Northeastern and other colleges requiring shots believe they have the legal right to demand students be vaccinated. It is not unusual for colleges to require students to be vaccinated for other diseases. Last year, a court let stand a flu shot requirement at the University of California.

Leave the decision to students

However, some colleges believe they cannot legally require vaccinations and are leaving the decisions to students.

Officials at Virginia Tech University say they cannot legally require the vaccine because it has not been given full approval by the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has only approved some vaccines⁹ for emergency use in the U.S.

Legal experts say the COVID-19 vaccines' emergency use approval makes a legal claim more likely. And some colleges may not require the vaccine to avoid legal problems.

Harvard Law professor Glenn Cohen teaches health law and bioethics. He argued there is no legal reason colleges would not be permitted to require COVID-19 vaccinations. It makes no difference that the shots have not been given full approval, he said.

The problem is that there is no federal law or court decision that helps colleges and universities decide how to move forward.

Other legal issues

The biggest problems could come in states that have already banned, or plan to ban, any vaccine requirements, Cohen said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis this month banned all businesses from requiring anyone to show proof of vaccination¹. The order raises problems for Florida's Nova Southeastern University. It plans to require students, teachers, and professors to get vaccinated. The college president said he will "respect the laws of our state and all federal directives."

Texas also has a ban on vaccine requirements.

And then there are other problems for schools that require the vaccine. Federal law says colleges must work with any student who refuses a vaccine for medical or religious reasons. Also, there is no widely accepted proof of vaccination paperwork.

At Northeastern, officials are still deciding whether students will be asked to show some kind of vaccine record or just be asked if they have been vaccinated.

"We would expect students to be honest," Henderson said.

American colleges are also struggling with what to expect of international students. Some may not have access to vaccines in their home countries. And some may not have access to vaccines approved for emergency use in the U.S.

Several colleges say they are planning to make shots available for international students when they arrive.

Northeastern student Tyler Lee said he thinks requiring vaccinations is the right move because it will help stop the virus spread and protect the community. Students agree with the decision, he said.

"It's Northeastern's decision," said Tyler Lee. "If I didn't like it, I would transfer. And that's what most students feel," he added.

Words in This Story

herd immunity - n. herd immunity is a form of protection from infectious disease when a large percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through vaccination or previous infections, thereby¹⁰ reducing the likelihood of infection for individuals who lack immunity.

ambiguity - n. something that does not have a single clear meaning

appropriate - adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation

bioethics - n. the study of the ethical¹¹ issues emerging from advances in biology and medicine.

transfer - v. move to another school

1 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

2 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

4 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

5 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

6 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

7 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

8 ambiguity   

n.模棱两可；意义不明确

参考例句：

• The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
• Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。

9 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

10 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

11 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。