美国国家公共电台 NPR--Arizona clinic prepares for Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

Arizona clinic prepares for Supreme¹ Court overturning Roe² v. Wade³

Transcript⁴

Clinics brace⁵ for a Supreme Court decision overturning Roe V Wade. Desert Star Family Planning is in Arizona, where abortion⁶ could be banned and criminalized if federal protections are reversed.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in the weeks to come, in half the country, abortion will likely be banned or sharply restricted. So we're taking you to Arizona, a state where abortion could be partially⁷ banned or fully⁸ banned and criminalized if federal protections are reversed.

In Phoenix⁹, on the fourth floor of an office building, Dr. DeShawn Taylor walks in through the back door of her small private practice, Desert Star Family Planning.

DESHAWN TAYLOR: Sometimes we can see parts at nine weeks, but we're now...

FADEL: This morning is a typical day. She's short staffed, like so many business owners in the midst of this pandemic. And before patients start to file in, she pulls the staff together for a huddle¹⁰ in the reception area.

ROSE ESPERICUETA: At 9:30, we have a surgical¹¹.

FADEL: That's the medical receptionist, Rose Espericueta, running through the day's schedule.

ESPERICUETA: And then at 10 o'clock, we have an abortion by pill. And then at 10:30, we have an abortion by pill follow-up.

FADEL: The doorbell pings as another patient walks in. In the small waiting room, a gaggle of people sit in black chairs. One woman's with her partner, another's alone and a third is with her mother. A nurse calls her name. Her mom kisses her forehead, and she heads in alone for her procedure - a surgical abortion.

TAYLOR: OK. We're all set. Rhi (ph), room's ready?

RHI: Yes.

FADEL: It all feels like a normal day, but there's an undercurrent here. Changes are coming. When the draft of the Supreme Court opinion, which would overturn Roe v. Wade, was first leaked, Dr. Taylor's phone lit up with dozens of messages.

TAYLOR: Every person who had a way to contact me, I was getting contacted.

FADEL: And what were they saying?

TAYLOR: Well, mainly, we're here for you. How are you? All these type of things. Now, I will say honestly that I was not surprised.

FADEL: She heard the oral arguments, she says. She knew this could happen. The leak - it gave her a glimpse into the future. She's getting ready.

TAYLOR: This is my practice, and I want to make sure people get care. And I have to do what I have to do to keep the doors open.

FADEL: Now, she's admittedly not an emotional person. She's solutions-oriented. On this day, she moves around the clinic in her magenta¹² scrubs with authority. Gold hoops¹³ peek¹⁴ out from her shoulder-length curly hair, and a medical resident trails her.

Dr. Taylor started this clinic nine years ago because she had a vision for how abortion care should be delivered.

TAYLOR: It was never my intention to be in private practice ever, ever, ever. But then it just became very clear that if I was going to establish a way of care the way I envisioned it, I wasn't going to be able to do that working for somebody else.

FADEL: And what was it about the way abortion care was provided?

TAYLOR: Well, if we say that abortion is health care, then when people come in to an abortion appointment, then they should just feel like they're at the doctor's office. It shouldn't feel different. I want a patient seeking abortion care to feel like they're really cared about, thought about, that they deserve excellence¹⁵.

FADEL: Yeah.

TAYLOR: And so I integrate the abortion care with my general gynecology care.

FADEL: Now, not everyone thinks abortion is health care. Arizona, like the country, is divided. About half of adults in the state believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and the other half thinks it should be illegal in all or most cases. On one wall of Dr. Taylor's clinic is a sign that says, let's be awesome¹⁶ today. There are medical pamphlets on weight control, contraception and fertility. And then there are pictures of people with their own stories about why they got an abortion - a single mother who didn't have the resources to care for a child with a genetic¹⁷ disorder¹⁸, failed birth control, a teenager abandoned by an older man when they found themselves pregnant. The photos look like America - Black, Indigenous¹⁹, Latina, white, transgender, cisgender.

If this leaked draft opinion becomes reality, what does that mean for your practice and your patients and you?

TAYLOR: So that would be no abortions²⁰ happening at this clinic. I do provide miscarriage²¹ management, and I would anticipate that we'd see an increase in that.

FADEL: What do you mean?

TAYLOR: When more people start to try to induce their own abortions by whatever means are available - and now it's safer to do that with abortion pills - then there are going to be some unsuccessful attempts, and people are going to present to health care providers in what appears to be a miscarriage. This type of hostile environment creates fear. And this is how people die because they're - have pain, they're bleeding. They might do their own pregnancy²² test at home. And now they're afraid to be criminalized, so they're not going to seek care.

FADEL: So many things remain unclear. There are two laws that would come into play in Arizona if Roe v. Wade is overturned - a recent one that bans abortions after 15 weeks; the other has been on the books since 1901. It would ban abortion completely, and Dr. Taylor or anyone that helps with an abortion could face up to five years in prison if they continued. The only exception in that law is if the person giving birth would die.

Now, it isn't Dr. Taylor taking the confused calls from patients who want to know what will and what won't be legal if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

(SOUNDBITE OF PHONE RINGING)

ESPERICUETA: Desert Star Family Planning. This is Rose. How can I help you?

FADEL: It's Espericueta at reception answering the calls.

ESPERICUETA: So many. It's so many. I remember this call. It's this patient. She wants to continue with her pregnancy, but she's always had trouble. She's always had miscarriages²³. And she was calling, crying, basically stating that, what if this pregnancy that she's - currently has right now does become ectopic? But she's like, what if I have to travel out of state? She's like, what if I don't make it? What if I'm going to die on the way out of state if Roe v. Wade does go away?

FADEL: There is so much confusion.

ESPERICUETA: So it's scary.

FADEL: Just above her computer is a plastic sheet protector taped to the wall. A yellow Post-it note reads, violent reporting sheet.

OK, so I see for February 2022, you got an email. Quote, "I don't know how you sleep at night getting rich off killing²⁴ unborn babies. You're a disgusting human being, and there's a special place in hell for people like you."

ESPERICUETA: Yeah. Oh, those come monthly. We get them from New York, Florida, everywhere.

FADEL: The clinic documents the threats it receives. Each month, there's a new entry. But the threat to this staff, Dr. Taylor says, may now come from the state.

TAYLOR: I have no interest in going to jail. I did not go to medical school to go to jail. I have no interest in performing illegal abortions ever. I'm just going to be honest. I don't have the complexion²⁵ to assume the risk and say, slap my hand later. We see the people who have been criminalized already, the pregnant people who have been criminalized already. They have not been white. So I have no illusions about where I stand on the issue and what type of risk I can take and not take.

There is a patient waiting, so let's go.

FADEL: Down the hall, a woman named Martha is sitting in an exam room. We're only using her first name for privacy. The clinic medical assistant, Albany Jackson, is talking to her.

ALBANY JACKSON: As you know, you do have three options. There is abortion, adoption²⁶ and parenting. It does look like you're going in the way of abortion, and you're just not fully sure on whether you want to do abortion by pill or by surgical.

MARTHA: Right.

JACKSON: Those are your...

MARTHA: Which one's more convenience, as in moneywise? How much is the pill, and how much is the other one?

JACKSON: All right. So for the...

FADEL: The pill is 620. Surgery is 640.

MARTHA: I'll do the surgical one.

JACKSON: OK.

FADEL: She chooses surgery because it's a quicker recovery. She can get back to work. Money is on Martha's mind. Her husband lost his job in the pandemic. She says she makes $17,000 a year if she's lucky, and she supports her family.

MARTHA: I have two kids.

FADEL: Oh, you have two kids already.

MARTHA: They're 10 and 12. Other than - my husband is going through some process. He is, right now, in the stage of drugs, where (crying) - where it's more difficult for me to have more kids. He's one of the victims that are, right now, struggling to get - I don't know. They're called blue pills.

FADEL: Blue pills. Like opioids?

MARTHA: Yeah.

FADEL: Yeah.

MARTHA: So he's on that stage. Plus me, you know, being a mom and all that - and I can't.

FADEL: It would all fall on you.

MARTHA: It would all fall on me. We lost our home.

FADEL: So sorry.

MARTHA: So now it's like - it gets worse. So I don't want to have a kid, knowing the situation I'm in.

FADEL: Yeah.

MARTHA: You know?

FADEL: And I heard her mention the prices.

MARTHA: Yeah.

FADEL: Is that - how is that for you? Because insurance doesn't cover any of this, right?

MARTHA: Um, it's...

FADEL: Just have - yeah.

MARTHA: I have to, yeah. This is not something where - I wouldn't think, as a woman, to do. I've never thought about it - never been against it, never been with it. But sometimes, as a woman, we get caught in a situation where we have to acknowledged the future.

FADEL: For a decade, she was on birth control. But a month ago, she says she just could not afford it anymore. That's why she's here.

TAYLOR: Thank you very much for the opportunity to take care of you.

MARTHA: Thank you. You know, thank you for everything that you do for me.

TAYLOR: You are very welcome.

FADEL: This week, she returned for her surgery and left with a doctor's note to give to her job. But if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, Dr. Taylor will have to stop this part of her practice, and people like Martha will have to go somewhere else.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 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。

2 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？

3 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。

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 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

6 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。

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

10 huddle   

vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人

参考例句：

• They like living in a huddle.他们喜欢杂居在一起。
• The cold wind made the boy huddle inside his coat.寒风使这个男孩卷缩在他的外衣里。

11 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

12 magenta   

n..紫红色（的染料）；adj.紫红色的

参考例句：

• In the one photo in which she appeared, Hillary Clinton wore a magenta gown.在其中一张照片中，希拉里身着一件紫红色礼服。
• For the same reason air information is printed in magenta.出于同样的原因，航空资料采用品红色印刷。

13 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

14 peek   

vi.偷看，窥视；n.偷偷的一看，一瞥

参考例句：

• Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
• Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛，别偷看。

15 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

16 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

17 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

18 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

19 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

20 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

21 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

22 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。

23 miscarriages   

流产( miscarriage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Miscarriages are usually caused by abnormal chromosome patterns in the fetus. 流产通常是因为胎儿的染色体异常造成的。
• Criminals go unpunishedareconvicted and are miscarriages of justice. 罪犯会逍遥法外，法律会伤及无辜，审判不公时有发生。

24 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

25 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

26 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。