美国国家公共电台 NPR Court Says Idaho Must Provide Gender Confirmation Surgery To Transgender Inmate

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals says the state of Idaho must provide sex reassignment surgery, also known as gender¹ confirmation² surgery, to a transgender inmate³, Adree Edmo. Amanda Peacher of the Mountain West News Bureau reports that Edmo is now slated⁴ to receive - to be the first transgender woman in the nation to receive the operation through her court order. And a brief warning - this story includes a mention of self-harm.

AMANDA PEACHER, BYLINE⁵: Adree Edmo is a transgender woman who has been housed in an all-male prison since 2012. She twice attempted to castrate herself with a razor, unsuccessfully. Her lawyers say those attempts are clear signs that Edmo's medical treatment is inadequate⁶. Now the prison will have to provide the gender confirmation surgery Edmo has been requesting for years.

LORI RIFKIN: She was excited and happy to hear the news and really just experiencing tremendous sense of relief.

PEACHER: That's Lori Rifkin, Edmo's lead attorney. She says prison officials denied Edmo treatment for gender dysphoria. That's when someone's physical body doesn't match their gender identity, and it can cause debilitating⁷ distress⁸.

RIFKIN: What this decision stands for is a basic principle of our Constitution. It's a basic value of our country that we treat all people, including those in prison, with basic decency⁹ and dignity, and we do not ignore their suffering.

PEACHER: The 9th Circuit agreed that denying Edmo the surgery constituted cruel and unusual punishment. In the opinion, the judges wrote that, quote, "responsible prison officials were deliberately¹⁰ indifferent to Edmo's gender dysphoria in violation¹¹ of the Eighth Amendment¹²." The ruling could have a ripple¹³ effect in other states as prison officials grapple with the rights of transgender inmates¹⁴ and their medical needs.

In a statement, Idaho Governor Brad Little called the ruling extremely disappointing and says the state will appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme¹⁵ Court. The high court takes up very few of the cases that are filed, but law professor Michael Mushlin from Pace University says it could happen here because other circuit courts have ruled differently on this issue.

MICHAEL MUSHLIN: They have an argument for the Supreme Court to review the case because now there is a clear split in the circuits.

PEACHER: As of now, the timeline for Edmo's surgery would be set during a status conference in mid-September with the Idaho judge who initially¹⁶ ruled in her favor. For NPR News, I'm Amanda Peacher.

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

4 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 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。

7 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

8 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

9 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

10 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

11 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

12 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

13 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

14 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。