美国国家公共电台 NPR--Churchgoers' opinions are mixed about the Supreme Court's abortion ruling

Churchgoers' opinions are mixed about the Supreme¹ Court's abortion² ruling

Transcript³

In Tennessee, church attendees share their reactions to last week's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe⁴ v. Wade⁵.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Some Catholics and evangelical Christians⁶ have been waiting for Roe v. Wade to be overturned from the day it became law 50 years ago. Blake Farmer of member station WPLN spent some time with a congregation in Nashville. He found that some people who pushed for Roe to go now feel conflicted.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELLS RINGING)

BLAKE FARMER, BYLINE⁷: As the bells rang out at St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows, security was tighter than normal because a block away, abortion rights activists⁸ were rallying in downtown Nashville much of the weekend. But church member Louise Kitchens had her own thoughts.

LOUISE KITCHENS: Now you got to think a little bit before you have sex with somebody you don't know.

FARMER: Kitchens says her firm stance against abortion is based on Catholic teaching. But the latest Pew Research survey shows only about half of those who identify as Catholic believe abortion should be illegal. Although, the vast majority favor at least some restrictions⁹. Even for those who have fought abortion on a daily basis, like one guy I talked to who spends most days outside the Planned Parenthood clinic here, the celebration was only in private. He didn't want to attract the ire of protesters. Some also say they don't want to come off as gloating. They told me it's not a good look for people who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus.

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination¹⁰ in the country, held an informal event on Zoom¹¹. Dana Hall McCain, of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee, asked for churchgoers to act with compassion¹². She also discouraged fundamentalists who've been pushing for laws that would punish women who have abortions¹³, not just their doctors.

DANA HALL MCCAIN: It gives us the possibility of pursuing justice, yet unintentionally creating new types of injustice¹⁴.

FARMER: McCain volunteers at a crisis pregnancy¹⁵ center in Alabama and says it's impossible to miss the complexity¹⁶ of almost every story - often a woman of color, often living in poverty.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SO GOOD TO ME")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) He's been so good, so, so good to me, so good...

FARMER: At the evangelical Unite Church in east Nashville, the early service crowd is dancing in the aisles¹⁷, eyes closed, hands raised. This congregation takes a position against abortion. Though, when I ask Pastor¹⁸ Mark Lancaster if it's a sin, he says it's more complicated than can be contained in a soundbite. He says he got someone pregnant when he was 19 years old. And that person had an abortion.

MARK LANCASTER: I know the thoughts that go on in your head personally. And I know the weight on that - the repercussions¹⁹ that can come along later.

FARMER: Lancaster says, he's not judging anyone. Though, he would hope to guide them away from abortion. And that should be easier now in Tennessee, where abortions have basically halted. The church already works with a crisis pregnancy center. And in response to the abortion ruling, the congregation launched a diaper drive to support new mothers. But the efforts fall short for Karen Fuqua. She's one of the few evangelicals passionate²⁰ enough about abortion rights to join the protests in Nashville over the weekend. She had her own child out of wedlock²¹ in the mid-1970s.

KAREN FUQUA: It'll just never be enough. I mean, there are unseen costs, diapers and formula and health insurance and day care. All of the things that I was lucky enough to have, most girls don't have.

FARMER: But just a few years earlier, before Roe v. Wade was decided²² in 1973, she had to drive a friend from Tennessee to New York to get an abortion over a weekend. She says her friend cried the whole way and that it's the same kind of journey others might be forced into making now.

For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Nashville.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA'S "WHITE LIGHT")

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

5 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

6 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

10 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

11 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

12 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

13 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

14 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

15 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

16 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

17 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

18 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

19 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

21 wedlock   

n.婚姻，已婚状态

参考例句：

• My wife likes our wedlock.我妻子喜欢我们的婚姻生活。
• The Fawleys were not made for wedlock.范立家的人就跟结婚没有缘。

22 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。