美国宾州史宾斯堡大学因为在校园健康中心内的自动贩卖机摆放事后避孕药而引发各界争议。学生只需投入25元美金就可轻松购得紧急事后避孕药Plan B One-Step，该贩卖机内还贩售保险套、验孕片等商品，FDA（美国食品药品监督管理局）已介入调查。根据联邦规定，17岁以下女性如要购买此类产品，必须持医生处方。对此该校负责人表示，已确认在校学生都年满17岁，才设立这台自动贩卖机，并称调查有85%的学生支持避孕药贩卖机的设立。

实际上这台自动贩卖机在校内已摆放2年之久，只是最近被媒体报道才广为人知，不少学生家长得知后群起反对。校方则在日前发表声明，表示并非鼓励学生发生性行为。有专家表示，这类原本应该在药局出售的药物却放在自动贩卖机贩售，取得途径太过容易未必是一件好事。部分宗教保守派人士则认为，服用紧急避孕药与堕胎无异。校内贩卖避孕药是否合适，FDA当前仍持续进行调查当中。

The university has begun selling the Plan B emergency contraception pill inside one of its student vending machines.

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.

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(Agencies)

（英语点津 Rosy 编辑）