《VOA》US Court Permits Abortion Drug for Now with Restriction

A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that the abortion drug mifepristone may still be used in the United States for now with some restrictions.

federal appeals court 聯邦上訴法院

rule (v.) 裁定、判決
The court ruled that the evidence was inadmissible.(證據不採用)

abortion (n.) 墮胎
She decided to have an abortion after learning that the fetus had a serious medical condition. induced abortion 人工墮胎 / spontaneous abortion 自然流產

Abortion is a process that ends a woman's pregnancy.

One restriction requires visiting a doctor in-person to receive the drug. Another restriction limits the drug's use to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 10 weeks.

in-person (adv.) 親自地

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Mifepristone 23 years ago. In 2016, the agency expanded the use to 10 weeks and permitted sending it to women by mail. Medical experts say millions of women have used the drug to end their pregnancies in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.

in combination with 示某個東西與另一個東西一起使用、結合，互相配合。常用於描述醫學、科學、工程、技術等領域中的兩個或多個物質、設備、方法之間的關係。 This medicine should be taken in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise for the best results.

The appeals court decision narrowed a ruling by a lower court judge in Texas. That ruling suspended the FDA's approval of the drug. Preventing the drug from being sent by mail means there is a limit on the most used method of abortion in the U.S.

ruling (n.) 裁決、裁定 在新聞報導中，ruling通常是指一個法院或其他機關對某個案件或爭議所做出的正式裁定或決定。

narrow (v.) 限制 narrow和limit都有限制的意思，limit通常指一般性的限制，比如：法律、規定、政策等；而narrow更強調「範圍上」的限制，通重指某項規則、法律等的適用範圍縮小了。 上述文中有寫道，原本10週內的孕期，限縮成7週內的孕期才能使用墮胎藥。

suspend (v.) 暫時中止，通常指的是一個行動、過程或活動。 The judge decided to suspend the trial until further evidence can be presented in order to make a fair ruling.

Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that brought the Texas legal case against the drug, called the federal appeals court decision a "victory." The group was also involved in the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade to end the constitutional right to abortion last year.

constitutional right 憲法權力 常見用法：constitutional right to (do something)，表示某項行為是一種被憲法保障的權利。
constitutional right to free speech (自由言論) constitutional right to bear arms (持有武器)

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the Biden administration "strongly disagrees" with the appeals court decision.

Attorney General 司法部長

administration (n.) 組織、公司、政府等的管理和運作 它可以用來描述管理層、管理團隊或政府機構。這個詞通常與業務、政治和行政相關聯，包括管理和執行政策、法規、計畫、程序和項目等。 administration也可以用來指代特定的政府管理部門，例如美國總統的管理部門就被稱為 the Administration。

"We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA's scientific judgment and protect Americans' access to safe and effective reproductive care," he said.

emergency relief 用來指援助、援救或協助在緊急狀況下受到影響的人或地區。通常這個詞語會被用於自然災害、戰爭、公共衛生事件等情況下，政府、國際組織、非營利機構等會向需要幫助的人提供資源、物資、人力等等方面的支持。

access to 可以使用、獲取或接觸到某物的權限或機會 通常用來描述某個人、組織或國家能夠取得某些資源、服務、設備等的能力。
The library offers free access to a vast collection of books and digital resources.

reproductive care 生殖保健

Competing decisions

The latest abortion dispute started last Friday with conflicting court decisions in the states of Texas and Oregon.

dispute (n.) 爭議的問題或情況(ex: 勞資爭議或鄰居間的爭端)
settle a dispute 解決爭端
labor dispute 勞資爭議 / legal dispute 法律爭議 / territorial dispute 領土爭議

In Texas, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ordered a hold on FDA approval of mifepristone last Friday. The order came after anti-abortion groups claimed that the FDA used an improper process when it approved mifepristone in 2000. They said the agency did not fully consider the drug's safety when used by girls under the age of 18 to end a pregnancy.

order a hold on 命令或要求停止某事物的進行，通常是暫時性的，以便進一步調查或處理問題。
The CEO ordered a hold on the company's expansion plans until the market stabilizes.

improper (adj.) 描述行為、語言、舉止等不得體、不適當的，通常用於指責或批評某人或某事。
The teacher reprimanded(訓斥) the student for his improper behavior in class.

Kacsmaryk agreed with the anti-abortion groups. He wrote that the FDA ignored safety concerns when it approved mifepristone.

His order also agreed with anti-abortion groups who said that a 19th-century law could be used to block sending abortion drugs through the mail. The Comstock Act was passed in 1873. It banned mailing birth control methods and things that could be used in an abortion. Since then, courts have narrowed the law.

block (v.) 堵塞；阻擋；阻礙 表示一個動作或行為被禁止或阻止。
She blocked the door tightly so that no one could get in.

Some legal experts say the law has not been enforced since the 1930s. But anti-abortion groups turned to the law after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.

enforce (v.) 執行、實施或強制實行某些法律、規則或政策，這個詞通常用來描述政府、法院、警察等機構或個人對於法律或規定的執行或強制實施。
The police will enforce the law to maintain public safety.

In Oregon, U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice issued a different ruling. He ordered federal officials not to make any changes that would restrict the use of mifepristone.

issue (v.) 發布、下令或宣佈 通常指官方、公司、機構等機構所進行的發布行為。
The company issued a press release announcing the new product.

The ruling came from a legal action brought by a group of 17 Democratic Party-led states seeking to expand the availability of abortion drugs. States led by Democratic Party governors are buying up drugs used in abortions to guarantee their availability.

On Monday, the Justice Department appealed Kacsmaryk's ruling. Also, more than 300 drug company officials signed an open letter calling for the Texas ruling to be struck down. They said the ruling limits the FDA's power and ignores years of scientific evidence of the drug's safety.

call for 要求；呼籲 常常指某個局面需要某種行動或措施。
The protesters called for the immediate release of the political prisoners

strike down 撤銷、廢止、推翻 通常用於描述法律、政策或裁決等被宣布為無效或不合法的情況。
The Supreme Court struck down the state's restrictive abortion law.

What's next?

Alliance Defending Freedom said in a call with the media early Thursday that it did not plan to ask the Supreme Court to become involved at this point.

It remains unclear if the Supreme Court will take the case. But the appeal of Kacsmaryk's earlier ruling will continue in the appeals court whether or not all or part of it remains in effect.

remain in effect 指的是某一項法律、政策或裁決仍然有效，沒有被撤銷或取消。在法律或政策領域中，通常用這個詞組來表明某一決定或規定的現行有效性，表示該決定或規定仍然是當前所遵循的標準或規範。

〔Hai Do wrote this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters sources.〕