诊所听证会可能决定密苏里州堕胎的命运

诊所听证会可能决定密苏里州堕胎的命运

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.

密苏里州最后一家提供堕胎服务的诊所的命运将在本周圣路易斯的听证会后决定。如果该诊所被迫停止提供堕胎的服务，密苏里州将成为美国第一个没有至少一家此类诊所的州。

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.

一个州委员会正在审查共和党州长迈克·帕森政府和一家诊所的计划生育部门之间的许可纠纷，这家诊所在圣路易斯经营。

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，在州政府官员以违反州卫生条例为由拒绝更新许可证后，该中心在几天内就停止了堕胎服务。但在计划生育部门提起诉讼后，它被允许在案件悬而未决期间保持开放。

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.

反对堕胎权利的帕森说，病人的健康和安全是这场争论的核心。计划生育部门的官员辩称，监管机构与密苏里州卫生部和高级服务部一起，将监管程序“武器化”，对诊所进行武断和过度的审查，试图将其关闭。

"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.

“这是如何在不推翻罗伊(诉韦德)的情况下有效禁止堕胎的一个例子，”美国计划生育联合会国家政策和倡导主任蕾切尔·苏斯曼说。

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.

这件事将提交给州行政听证委员会，由一位专员以类似法官的身份审理此案。计划生育部门的官员说，预计本周的第一部分将集中在该州的案件上，本周晚些时候计划生育部门将对此做出回应。

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.

密苏里州卫生部和高级服务部以及州总检察长办公室的发言人拒绝就此事发表评论。

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."

反堕胎人士也在密切关注此案。天主教协会高级研究员莫林·弗格森表示，各州有权监管诊所，如果诊所达不到这些标准，“那么它们就应该被关闭。”

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，计划生育部门正在伊利诺斯州开设一家新的大型诊所，提供跨州堕胎服务。

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.

计划生育部门的苏斯曼认为，密苏里州监管机构的努力是各级堕胎权反对者限制全国堕胎程序的更大战略的一部分。

"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."

”在该州州长——坦白说特朗普-彭斯政府鼓励美国各州积极采取行动限制堕胎,”苏斯曼说,“这是另一个策略,通过关闭最后一个正在提供医疗服务的健康中心来达到目的的又一次尝试。”

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.

美国最高法院最近表示，它将受理路易斯安那州的一起案件，该案件挑战针对堕胎提供者的卫生法规，堕胎辩论双方的支持者也在密切关注这一案件。

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.

美国妇产科医师学会表示，对提供堕胎服务的诊所实施严格监管是不必要的，而且会给堕胎服务设置障碍。