来源：《新科学家》
原文见刊日期：2022年5月14日
The right to end a pregnancy has been protected in the US for nearly 50 years. In a matter of weeks, that may change. The country’s highest court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision. This would be disastrous for public health and equality more broadly.
在美国，终止妊娠的权利已经被保护了近50年。在几周内，这种情况可能会改变。美国最高法院准备推翻具有里程碑意义的1973年罗伊诉韦德案的判决。这对更广泛的公共卫生和平等来说将是灾难性的。
The US already has the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy nation, with 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births. In the UK, it is 8.8 deaths per 100,000 live births.
在所有富裕国家中，美国的孕产妇死亡率最高，每10万活产婴儿中有23.8名孕妇死亡。在英国，每10万活产婴儿中有8.8名孕妇死亡。
Given the significant health risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth, forcing more people to carry unwanted pregnancies and give birth means forcing them to face those dangers. Those who seek and are denied abortions also report higher levels of anxiety, lower self-esteem and poorer quality of life compared with those who are able to obtain one.
考虑到与怀孕和分娩相关的重大健康风险，迫使更多人意外怀孕和分娩意味着迫使他们面对这些危险。与那些能够堕胎的人相比，那些寻求堕胎并被拒绝的人也表现出更高的焦虑水平、更低的自尊和更差的生活质量。
Things are particularly worrying when you look at existing outcomes for US minority groups, especially Black women, whose maternal mortality rate is nearly three times that of white women.
尤其令人担忧的是，当你看看美国少数族裔的现状，尤其是黑人女性，她们的孕产妇死亡率几乎是白人女性的三倍。
Health insurance coverage is also lower among minority groups, affecting access to more expensive, long-lasting forms of birth control, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy. Black women make up 28 per cent of those seeking abortions in the US each year, despite being just 14 per cent of the nation’s female population.
少数群体的医疗保险覆盖率也较低，影响了获得更昂贵、更持久的节育措施的机会，增加了意外怀孕的风险。在美国每年寻求堕胎的人中，黑人女性占28%，尽管她们只占美国女性人口的14%。
If abortion is restricted or banned in more than half of US states, only those with the means to travel to a place where it is legal will be able to have the procedure done safely without fear of prosecution. Abortion is one of the safest procedures, but when performed in unsanitary conditions or by untrained providers, it can be deadly.
如果美国超过一半的州都限制或禁止堕胎，那么，只有那些有能力去堕胎合法的地方的人才能安全地进行堕胎，而不用担心被起诉。堕胎是最安全的手术之一，但如果在不卫生的条件下或由未经培训的服务提供商进行堕胎，可能会致命。
The consequences for disadvantaged groups will be severe, and it may only be the beginning. Millions of people will lose the option to have an abortion in their home state if Roe v Wade is overturned. Some conservative lawmakers have already made noises about restricting access to forms of birth control, including the morning after pill.
对弱势群体的后果将是严重的，而且这可能只是开始。如果罗伊诉韦德案被推翻，数百万人将失去在所在州堕胎的权利。一些保守派议员已经发出声音，要求限制人们使用避孕措施，包括事后避孕药。
The end of the protections under Roe v Wade could start the unravelling of many hard-fought rights.
罗伊诉韦德案中保护的终结可能会导致许多艰难争取的权利开始瓦解。