美校園販賣機擺“事後避孕藥”

美國賓州史賓斯堡大學因爲在校園健康中心內的自動販賣機擺放事後避孕藥而引發各界爭議。學生只需投入25元美金就可輕鬆購得緊急事後避孕藥Plan B One-Step，該販賣機內還販售保險套、驗孕片等商品，FDA(美國食品藥品監督管理局)已介入調查。根據聯邦規定，17歲以下女性如要購買此類產品，必須持醫生處方。對此該校負責人表示，已確認在校學生都年滿17歲，才設立這臺自動販賣機，並稱調查有85%的學生支持避孕藥販賣機的設立。

實際上這臺自動販賣機在校內已擺放2年之久，只是最近被媒體報道才廣爲人知，不少學生家長得知後羣起反對。校方則在日前發表聲明，表示並非鼓勵學生髮生性行爲。有專家表示，這類原本應該在藥局出售的藥物卻放在自動販賣機販售，取得途徑太過容易未必是一件好事。部分宗教保守派人士則認爲，服用緊急避孕藥與墮胎無異。校內販賣避孕藥是否合適，FDA當前仍持續進行調查當中。

Shippensburg University is coming under fire today after local television affiliate WTAE reported that the university has begun selling the Plan B emergency contraception pill inside one of its student vending machines。

"This is a legal medication," university spokesman Peter Gigliotti told Yahoo News. "You can go into any pharmacy and purchase it legally if you are 17 or older."

Gigliotti also was quick to counter a falsely reported element of the story, noting that the pill will only be offered in one vending machine inside the university's health center。

"It's only available to full-time students who must show multiple forms of identification," Gigliotti said. "It's not just available to anyone walking in off the street."

Even though the FDA has in fact approved the pill for over-the-counter use to anyone 17-years-old and up, the decision has nonetheless created a backlash among those who oppose abortion rights. While the Plan B pill is described as emergency contraception, many social conservatives nonetheless view it as a possible abortifacient, due to the drug's ability, in cases where an egg has already become fertilized, of preventing it from attaching to the uterus. National Right to Life President Carol Tobias tells Yahoo News that there are better ways for the university to look out for the health of its students. "It would be a much more productive use of funds if universities would partner with local pregnancy resource centers where students can get real help if they need it," Tobias said。

Earlier reports inaccurately claimed that the university was offering the pill in all of its student vending machines, which only fueled the outcry。

An official statement from Dr Roger L. Surr, vice president of student affairs, reads in part: "We are not the first one to make Plan B available so this is not unique to us or to public higher education. This decision was also made in consultation with our medical staff. Plan B is an over-the-counter medication for individuals 17 years old or older and, according to our records, all of our current full-time students are 17 or older. Any student who wants to discuss Plan B with a health care provider may do so at any time. In addition, medical information is provided with the Plan B for purchasers to read before its use."

The Plan B One-Step Home pill, also known as the morning after pill, reduces the chance of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if taken within 24 hours. The manufacturer's website notes that it can be taken up 72 hours after sexual intercourse but states that "it is not the abortion pill and it isn't a substitute for routine birth control."

Dr Serr told WTAE that the decision was made after overwhelming student support. "We had some conversations with them and did a survey of the student body and we got an 85 percent response rate that the students supported Plan B in the House Center."

In addition, Serr said the university does not make any additional revenue from the sales, charging students the same $25 they pay for a single dose。