診所聽證會可能決定密蘇里州墮胎的命運

診所聽證會可能決定密蘇里州墮胎的命運

The fate of the last remaining clinic that provides abortions in Missouri is set to be decided after a hearing beginning in St. Louis this week. If the clinic is forced to stop performing abortions, Missouri would become the first state in the nation to be without at least one such clinic.

密蘇里州最后一家提供墮胎服務(wù)的診所的命運將在本周圣路易斯的聽證會后決定。如果該診所被迫停止提供墮胎的服務(wù)，密蘇里州將成為美國第一個沒有至少一家此類診所的州。

A state commission is reviewing a licensing dispute between Republican Gov. Mike Parson's administration and Planned Parenthood, which operates the clinic in St. Louis.

一個州委員會正在審查共和黨州長邁克·帕森政府和一家診所的計劃生育部門之間的許可糾紛，這家診所在圣路易斯經(jīng)營。

In July, the center came within days of stopping abortion services after state officials refused to renew the license, citing violations of state health regulations. But after Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit, it was allowed to stay open while the case is pending.

今年7月，在州政府官員以違反州衛(wèi)生條例為由拒絕更新許可證后，該中心在幾天內(nèi)就停止了墮胎服務(wù)。但在計劃生育部門提起訴訟后，它被允許在案件懸而未決期間保持開放。

Parson, who opposes abortion rights, has said that the health and safety of patients is at the heart of the dispute. Planned Parenthood officials contend that regulators with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services have "weaponized" the regulatory process, applying arbitrary and excessive scrutiny to the clinic in an effort to shut it down.

反對墮胎權(quán)利的帕森說，病人的健康和安全是這場爭論的核心。計劃生育部門的官員辯稱，監(jiān)管機構(gòu)與密蘇里州衛(wèi)生部和高級服務(wù)部一起，將監(jiān)管程序“武器化”，對診所進(jìn)行武斷和過度的審查，試圖將其關(guān)閉。

"This serves as an example of how abortion access could effectively be banned without ever overturning Roe [v. Wade]," said Rachel Sussman, national director of state policy and advocacy at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

“這是如何在不推翻羅伊(訴韋德)的情況下有效禁止墮胎的一個例子，”美國計劃生育聯(lián)合會國家政策和倡導(dǎo)主任蕾切爾·蘇斯曼說。

The matter is before the state's Administrative Hearing Commission, where a single commissioner, acting in a capacity similar to a judge, will consider the case. The first part of this week is expected to focus on the state's case, with a response from Planned Parenthood coming later in the week, Planned Parenthood officials say.

這件事將提交給州行政聽證委員會，由一位專員以類似法官的身份審理此案。計劃生育部門的官員說，預(yù)計本周的第一部分將集中在該州的案件上，本周晚些時候計劃生育部門將對此做出回應(yīng)。

Spokespersons with Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services and the state attorney general's office declined to comment while the matter is pending.

密蘇里州衛(wèi)生部和高級服務(wù)部以及州總檢察長辦公室的發(fā)言人拒絕就此事發(fā)表評論。

Abortion rights opponents also are watching the case closely. Maureen Ferguson, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association, said states have a right to regulate clinics and if clinics fail to meet those standards, "then they ought to be shut down."

反墮胎人士也在密切關(guān)注此案。天主教協(xié)會高級研究員莫林·弗格森表示，各州有權(quán)監(jiān)管診所，如果診所達(dá)不到這些標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，“那么它們就應(yīng)該被關(guān)閉。”

Ferguson noted that Planned Parenthood is opening a large new clinic to provide abortions across the state line in Illinois, a state with less restrictive abortion laws.

弗格森指出，計劃生育部門正在伊利諾斯州開設(shè)一家新的大型診所，提供跨州墮胎服務(wù)。

Sussman, with Planned Parenthood, sees the efforts by Missouri state regulators as part of a larger strategy by abortion rights opponents at all levels to restrict the procedure nationwide.

計劃生育部門的蘇斯曼認(rèn)為，密蘇里州監(jiān)管機構(gòu)的努力是各級墮胎權(quán)反對者限制全國墮胎程序的更大戰(zhàn)略的一部分。

"The governor in the state – and frankly the Trump-Pence administration – has kind of invited states across the country to aggressively act on restricting access to abortion," Sussman said, "and this is another strategy, another attempt to do just that, by shutting down the last health center in the state providing care."

”在該州州長——坦白說特朗普-彭斯政府鼓勵美國各州積極采取行動限制墮胎,”蘇斯曼說,“這是另一個策略,通過關(guān)閉最后一個正在提供醫(yī)療服務(wù)的健康中心來達(dá)到目的的又一次嘗試。”

The U.S. Supreme Court said recently it would take up a Louisiana case that challenges health regulations aimed at abortion providers – a case advocates on both sides of the abortion debate also are watching closely.

美國最高法院最近表示，它將受理路易斯安那州的一起案件，該案件挑戰(zhàn)針對墮胎提供者的衛(wèi)生法規(guī)，墮胎辯論雙方的支持者也在密切關(guān)注這一案件。

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has said that heavy regulation of clinics that provide abortions is unnecessary and creates barriers to abortion access.

美國婦產(chǎn)科醫(yī)師學(xué)會表示，對提供墮胎服務(wù)的診所實施嚴(yán)格監(jiān)管是不必要的，而且會給墮胎服務(wù)設(shè)置障礙。