What Happens When We Deny People Abortions? | Diana Greene Foster | TED

譯者: 麗玲 辛

I'd like to start by telling you the story

首先我想向大家講述

of two women born early in the 20th century.

兩位出生於 20 世紀初的 女性的故事。

They lived on different coasts, they had different religious backgrounds

他們分別生活在東西海岸， 有不同的宗教背景，

and they were in different stages of life

處於人生不同階段

when each experienced an unwanted pregnancy.

但都經歷意外懷孕。

Sally was newly married at the start of the Great Depression.

莎莉在大蕭條開始時剛結婚。

She and her husband decided

她和丈夫認為

they couldn't afford to start a family yet,

他們還沒有能力生養小孩，

but abortion was illegal in New York City,

但墮胎在紐約市是非法的，

and so she traveled to Puerto Rico to get an illegal abortion.

因此她前往波多黎各進行非法墮胎。

Dorothy had recently graduated from high school

多蘿西則是高中剛畢業時，

when she became pregnant by a much older golf instructor.

懷了一位年長得多的 高爾夫教練的孩子。

Her conservative parents shunned her

她的保守派父母不理她，

and she had to go away

她不得不前往救世軍未婚母親之家，

to a Salvation Army home for unwed mothers,

where she gave birth and placed the child for adoption.

在那裡她生下了孩子，並將孩子送養。

These women were my grandmothers,

這兩位女性都是我的祖母，

and they're part of the reason I became a demographer and professor

也是我成為人口學家、教授，

studying the causes and consequences of unintended pregnancy.

研究意外懷孕原因 及其後果的動機之一。

For years, people have alleged that abortion harms women.

多年來，人們一直聲稱 墮胎對女性有害。

The idea that abortion causes mental health harm in particular

特別是墮胎會導致 心理健康問題的這個觀點

has been used to justify laws that ban abortion

一直被用來為禁止墮胎的法律辯護，

or try and dissuade people from choosing it.

或者試圖勸阻人們不要墮胎。

This came to a head in 2007,

這一切在 2007 年達到頂峰，

when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

當時最高法院法官安東尼．肯尼迪 （Anthony Kennedy）

allowed restrictions on abortion to stand

允許對墮胎實施限制，

because, as he said, "While we find no reliable data

因為他說：「儘管我們沒有可靠的數據

to measure the phenomenon,

來衡量這一現象，

it seems unexceptionable to conclude

但可以毫無異議地斷定，

that some women come to regret their choice

有些女性後悔她們選擇終止 曾孕育的嬰兒生命，

to abort the infant life they once created and sustained.

Severe depression and loss of esteem can follow."

之後可能面臨嚴重的抑鬱和自尊喪失。」

"No reliable data"?

「沒有可靠的數據？」

Those are words a demographer lives for.

人口學家就等這句話！

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

We began data collection the very next year.

隔年我們就開始收集數據。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

To study the outcomes for people who get abortions,

為了研究墮胎者的結果，

you need a comparison group,

你需要一個對照組，

ideally people who want an abortion and can't get them,

最好是那些想要墮胎但無法墮胎的人，

because they would be in exactly the same circumstances,

因為他們就處於完全相同的情況，

but one group gets the abortion and the other group doesn't.

但一組進行了墮胎， 而另一組則沒有。

My research team at the University of California,

我在舊金山加州大學的研究團隊

San Francisco,

went to 30 abortion facilities across the country,

走訪了全國 30 個墮胎設施，

each one selected

每個被選上的墮胎設施

because it was distant enough from other clinics

都距離其他診所足夠遠，

that if someone were too far along in pregnancy for that clinic,

這樣，如果有人懷孕太久 而無法在那家診所接受墮胎，

there was very few other places they could go.

他們就很難找到其他地方。

At each site, we focused on recruiting two groups of people,

在每個地點，我們致力於招募兩組人，

women who were just under the limit and got their abortions,

一組是剛好在限制期限之內 接受墮胎的女性，

and women who showed up a little bit too late in pregnancy

另一組是懷孕稍微久一點，

and were turned away.

因此被拒之門外的女性。

I called it the Turnaway Study,

我稱之為「被拒墮胎研究」，

and the study design was a success.

研究設計是成功的。

In analyzing the data,

在分析數據時，

we see those two groups were the same at the start.

我們發現這兩組一開始是相同的。

Women who received and women who were denied abortions

接受墮胎和被拒絕墮胎的女性，

had similar mental health, physical health and socioeconomic well-being

尋求墮胎時，身心健康、

和社經狀況方面是相似的。

at the time they sought an abortion.

We followed almost a thousand women,

我們追蹤了近千名女性，

calling them every six months for five years,

五年來每六個月給她們打電話，

using scientifically validated questions to measure their physical health,

使用經過科學驗證的問題 來衡量她們的身體健康、

their mental health and their families' well-being.

心理健康和家庭狀況。

And we can see that although they started the same,

我們發現，

儘管他們的起點相同，

those two groups,

但這兩個群體的生命發展卻不同，

their lives diverged in ways that could be directly attributed

這可以直接歸因於 他們是否墮胎或被拒絕。

to whether they got their abortion or were turned away.

And it didn't work out the way

而且事情並沒有像肯尼迪所說的 「毫無異議地斷定」那樣順當。

that Kennedy had "unexceptionably" concluded.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

In fact, we found no mental health harm from abortion.

事實上，我們並沒有發現 墮胎對心理健康造成傷害。

Instead, we saw higher anxiety, lower self-esteem,

相反，我們發現 那些墮胎被拒的人更焦慮、

lower life satisfaction for the people who were denied the abortion.

自尊心更低、生活滿意度更低。

But this difference didn't last.

但這種差異並沒有持續下去。

Over time, the two groups looked the same,

隨著時間推移， 兩組人看起來都一樣，

not because both groups were doing poorly in terms of mental health.

並不是因為兩組人 在心理健康方面都表現不佳。

In fact, symptoms of depression and anxiety improved

事實上，隨著時間的推移，

兩組人的憂鬱和焦慮症狀都有所改善。

for both groups over time.

But the two groups diverged in other important ways.

但這兩個群體在其他 重要發展也很不一樣。

We find worse physical health for women

我們發現懷孕至足月

who carried the pregnancy to term

並分娩的女性身體健康狀況較差。

and gave birth.

Consistent with the vast medical literature,

與大量醫學文獻一致，

we see that childbirth is associated with greater risks than abortion,

我們發現分娩比墮胎有更大的風險，

including hemorrhage, eclampsia,

包括出血、子癇，

and even death.

甚至死亡。

And the differences in physical health don't end at the time of childbirth.

而身體健康的差異 並不僅僅在分娩時存在。

For years later, we saw higher chronic pain, more hypertension

多年後，我們發現 那些墮胎被拒並生育的女性

and overall worse physical health for women who were denied the abortion

患有更嚴重的慢性疼痛，更多人 有高血壓，整體健康狀況較差。

and gave birth.

We also find large socioeconomic differences,

我們還發現社經方面的巨大差異，

where women who are denied abortions

墮胎被拒的女性面臨的困境 比接受墮胎的女性更多。

face more hardships than women who receive abortions.

We find an increase in public assistance,

我們發現公共援助有所增加，

but it's not enough to make up for a loss of full-time employment.

但不足以彌補無法全職就業的損失。

Women, often raising children alone,

婦女往往獨自撫養孩子，

end up falling below the federal poverty level.

最終跌入聯邦貧窮線以下。

Working with economists,

我與經濟學家合作，

I was able to show that those who received and those who were denied abortions

發現那些接受墮胎的人 和那些墮胎被拒的人

were similar economically for years before the year of the unwanted pregnancy,

在意外懷孕前幾年的經濟狀況相似，

but for years after, we see more debt, lower credit scores

但在之後的幾年中， 我們觀察到那些被拒絕的人

and a greater chance of eviction and bankruptcy

有了更多債務、更低的信用評分， 被逐出住所和破產的機會更大。

for people who were turned away.

And one other area of difference I'll mention.

我還要提到另一個不同之處。

We see differences in the chance

我們發現女性制定和實現 未來理想計畫的機會存在著差異。

that women set and achieve aspirational plans for their future.

This includes things like breaking ties with abusive partners,

這包括與施虐伴侶斷絕關係、

finding high quality romantic relationships,

尋求高品質的戀愛關係、

getting advanced educational degrees,

獲得高等教育學位、

financially supporting their older children

為較年長的孩子提供經濟支持，

and even differences in the chance of having an intended pregnancy later.

甚至之後計畫懷孕的機會也存在差異。

The results of my study consistently show

我的研究結果一致表明，

that when there is a difference,

當存在差異時，

those who were able to get their wanted abortion

那些想要墮胎並獲得墮胎的人

did better than those who weren't.

比那些沒有獲得的人狀況更好。

This may come as a surprise to people

對於從沒想過女性為何墮胎的人來說，

who don't think about why women get abortions.

這資訊可能令人驚訝。

Women often give many reasons:

女性經常給出很多理由：

housing and financial circumstances,

住房和經濟狀況、

their relationship with the man involved in the pregnancy,

她們與受孕男性的關係、

their need to take care of existing children.

照顧現有孩子的需求。

More than half of those seeking abortions nationally

全國一半以上尋求墮胎的人

are already parenting at least one child.

已經至少養育一個孩子。

All of the areas women were concerned about --

女性關心的所有領域——

finances, children, relationships, life aspirations --

財務、子女、人際關係、人生抱負——

were the areas in which we see differences.

都是我們看到差異的領域。

In the experiences of those denied abortions,

在那些被拒絕墮胎的經歷中，

we see all their concerns playing out exactly as they anticipated

我們看到女性擔心的事情都發生了，

when they were deciding whether to have an abortion.

如同她們在決定是否墮胎時所預期的。

Their concerns were justified.

她們的擔憂是有道理的。

Over the five years we followed them,

在我們追蹤的五年中，

we see that over 95 percent of those who received their abortion

我們看到超過 95％ 接受墮胎的人

said it was the right decision for them.

表示這對她們來說是正確的決定。

Very few of those people who gave birth

生下小孩的人很少決定將孩子送養，

decided to place a child for adoption.

Less than 10 percent.

不到百分之十。

So there's another example

因此，這是另一個

of a Supreme Court justice making an assumption

最高法院法官做出錯誤假設的例子。

that turned out to be wrong.

You may remember Amy Coney Barrett,

你可能還記得艾米．科尼．巴雷特 (Amy Coney Barrett)，

in deliberating on ending 50 years of abortion rights in our country,

在審議終止我國 50 年的墮胎權時，

suggested that women could drop their babies off at fire stations.

暗示女性可以將孩子送到消防站。

We find that once people have taken the risk

我們發現，一旦人們承擔了風險，

and made the monumental sacrifice of giving birth to a child,

並做出了巨大的犧牲，生下孩子，

most people decide to parent that child.

大多數人就會決定撫養這個孩子。

Adoption is not an easy choice.

送養並不是一個容易的選擇。

And in fact, the women who placed children for adoption

事實上，那些將孩子送養的女性

were the most likely to say

十有八九表達了

that they were having difficulty coping with their experience.

她們應對此經歷的艱難。

It's not news to me that some people think abortion is wrong,

對我來說，有些人認為墮胎是錯的， 這不是什麼新聞，

but when someone's in the circumstance where they are pregnant

但當有人懷孕了，

and they cannot support a child and take care of their existing children

卻無法撫養孩子、照顧現有的孩子，

or make a decent life for themself,

或過上像樣的生活時，

they're trying to make a decision

她們會努力做出對自己 和家庭而言正確的決定。

that is right for their life and their family.

As the abortion provider Dr. George Tiller used to say

正如墮胎醫生喬治·蒂勒 (George Tiller)

before his murder in 2009:

在 2009 年遇刺之前經常說的：

Trust women.

相信女性。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Access to safe, legal abortion is important for all of us.

安全、合法的墮胎途徑 對我們每個人來說很重要。

Unintended pregnancy is very common in my family,

意外懷孕很常見，不論是在我的家庭、

in all of our families,

所有人的家庭、

across our country, in red states and blue states,

全國各地、紅州和藍州

and across the globe.

以及全球各地。

I've worked with scientists in Tunisia, Colombia, South Africa,

我與突尼斯、哥倫比亞、南非、

Bangladesh and Nepal

孟加拉和尼泊爾的科學家合作，

to study the experiences of people who are pregnant when they aren't ready.

研究那些未預期懷孕的人的經驗。

And we see these same concerns about wanting to have children

我們也看到了同樣的擔憂，

希望在適當的環境中生孩子。

under the right circumstances.

Access to abortion is universally,

墮胎權對家庭的幸福 至關重要。

fundamentally important to the well-being of families.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

The overwhelming international trend is towards liberalizing abortion laws

國際上最主要的趨勢是放寬墮胎法，

and not, like the United States, of imposing new restrictions.

而不是像美國那樣施加新的限制。

Until the United States rejoins the rest of the world,

在美國重新回歸 世界其他地區的作法之前，

there is a lot we can do to support pregnant people,

我們可以做很多事情來支持孕婦，

whether they do or do not want to carry that pregnancy to term.

無論她們是否願意懷孕到足月。

We need much more generous and less punitive supports

我們需要為低收入家庭提供 更慷慨、非懲罰性的支持，

for low-income families,

like income supports,

例如收入援助、

extended periods of health care coverage,

延長醫療保險期限、

child care and parental leave,

兒童保育和育嬰假，

so nobody decides to end an otherwise wanted pregnancy

這樣，人們不會只為了經濟因素， 決定終止本來想要的懷孕。

for economic reasons alone.

But when someone's in the position where they don't have the circumstances

但是，當某人不具備撫養孩子的條件，

where they want to raise a child

and they want to end their pregnancy,

並且想要終止懷孕時，

they need the information and resources to do so safely.

她們需要獲得相關資訊 和資源，以便安全進行。

Since the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision

自 2022 年最高法院多布斯 (Dobbs) 判決推翻了羅伊案 (Roe)

that overturned Roe

and ended federal protections for abortion rights,

並終結聯邦保護的墮胎權利以來，

we see that people who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy are determined.

我們觀察到，經歷 意外懷孕的人是堅決的。

People have strong motivation

他們有強烈的動機，

because they understand the consequences of carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term.

因為他們了解意外懷孕足月的後果。

People who have the resources to circumvent their state law

那些有資源可以繞過州法、

by traveling or ordering medication abortion pills online, do.

透過旅行或線上訂購 墮胎藥的人，就會這樣做。

Now with large swaths of the Southern United States and Midwest

現在，美國南部和中西部的大片地區

without a single legal abortion clinic,

沒有一家合法的墮胎診所，

women who can travel hundreds of miles

可以長途旅行的女性

to get an abortion out of state.

跋涉數百英里到州外墮胎。

People without the emotional and financial and social resources to travel --

缺乏情感、經濟和社會資源 來支應旅行的人——

that includes minors and immigrants

包括未成年人、

移民以及因自身健康或法律 而旅行受限的人——

and people whose travel is restricted because of their own health or the law --

will experience all the hardships we've documented in the Turnaway Study.

將經歷我們在《被拒墮胎研究》中 記錄的所有困境。

The importance of control over childbearing

我兩位祖母的故事 也顯示了控制生育的重要性。

is also shown in the stories of my grandmothers.

My father's mother, Sally,

我父親的母親莎莉

got her abortion in Puerto Rico and went on with her life,

在波多黎各墮胎後，繼續她的生活，

which included having three children later,

後來她的經濟基礎更加穩定時， 她生了三個孩子。

when her financial footing was more secure.

She was warm and funny and a wonderful mom.

她熱情又風趣，是個很棒的媽媽。

My --

我的——

(Applause)

（掌聲）

My other grandmother, who gave birth,

我的另一位祖母生下孩子，

she experienced severe complications from childbirth,

她在分娩時經歷了

both physical and emotional.

嚴重的身體和情緒併發症。

After placing my mother for adoption,

將我母親送養後，

she struggled to find strong romantic relationships

她掙扎尋求牢固的親密關係，

and she never did get to have more children,

儘管非常想生孩子，她從未再生育。

although she desperately wanted to.

My mother found her when I was 12,

我 12 歲時，母親找到了她，

and she and I became very close.

我和她變得非常親密。

She was my nearest relative when I went off to college at UC Berkeley

我就讀於加州大學柏克萊分校時， 她是我最親近的親戚，

and she even came to visit me

甚至當我在普林斯頓大學 讀研究所時，她也來看我。

when I was in graduate school at Princeton.

And I was the one by her side, holding her hand,

多年後，當她去世時， 我一直陪在她身邊，握著她的手。

when she died many years later.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

What I think about her experience is that her life took a detour

我對她的經歷的看法是，

她在十幾歲時懷孕，生活就此改道，

when she got pregnant as a teenager

and she never found a way to get back on the track she wanted.

一直沒有辦法回到自己想要的軌道上。

The experiences of my grandmothers are consistent with the Turnaway Study,

我祖母的經歷與 《被拒墮胎研究》一致，

and also show us what to expect in this post-Dobbs world.

告訴我們在後多布斯世界中， 會有什麼情況。

What we know is that being able

我們所知道的是，

能夠在沒有政府干預的情況下 自行決定是否生育，

to make one's own decision about childbearing

without government interference

is crucial for the economic well-being of families

對家庭經濟福祉至關重要，

and allows people to pursue personal and educational goals,

人們因此能夠追求個人和教育目標，

including having wanted children later.

包括之後再生育子女。

Access to abortion is about control

墮胎權代表能夠掌控

over one's body, life and destiny.

自己的身體、生活和命運。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌聲和歡呼聲）