美国国家公共电台 NPR--This Texas district attorney is one of dozens who have vowed not to prosecute abortion

This Texas district attorney is one of dozens who have vowed¹ not to prosecute² abortion³

Transcript⁴

The U.S. Supreme⁵ Court's reversal of Roe⁶ v. Wade⁷ leaves decisions about abortion access up to states, many of which have moved swiftly to limit it.

And while dozens of states were prepared with trigger laws that would immediately ban or restrict abortions⁸, some are now encountering obstacles in implementation⁹ and enforcement. The pushback is coming from within their own borders, in the form of legal challenges from abortion rights advocates and opposition¹⁰ from local prosecutors¹¹.

Judges in states including Louisiana and Utah have temporarily blocked abortion bans from taking effect in order to hear challenges against them. And dozens of local prosecutors across the country have publicly pledged not to prosecute people who seek, facilitate or provide abortions.

In a joint¹² statement originally issued Friday, 88 elected prosecutors — mostly district attorneys and attorneys general — vowed not to prosecute abortions, calling the criminalization of abortion care "a mockery of justice."

The prosecutors come from counties in both blue and red states, including those with strict anti-abortion laws including Georgia and Texas. They collectively represent more than 91.5 million people from 30 states and territories as well as Washington, D.C., according to Fair and Just Prosecution¹³, the group that organized and distributed the statement.

"Not all of us agree on a personal or moral level on the issue of abortion," they wrote. "But we stand together in our firm belief that prosecutors have a responsibility to refrain from using limited criminal legal system resources to criminalize personal medical decisions."

They argue that enforcing abortion bans runs counter to their sworn obligation to protect the safety and well-being¹⁴ of their communities, since it would erode¹⁵ trust in the legal system, divert resources from the enforcement of serious crime and lead to the retraumatization and criminalization of victims of sexual violence, among other consequences.

"Our legislatures may decide to criminalize personal healthcare decisions, but we remain obligated to prosecute only those cases that serve the interests of justice and the people," they added.

A Texas district attorney defends his promise not to prosecute abortions

One of the letter's signatories is José Garza, district attorney for Texas' Travis County, which includes Austin. He tells Morning Edition's A Martínez that in practical terms, it is now incredibly difficult to access abortion care in Texas.

A judge has temporarily blocked the state's pre-Roe ban from taking effect, but a law passed in September already bans almost all abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy¹⁶. And many providers are shutting down for fear of prosecution.

Garza, like many, expects low-income and working-class people, people of color and victims of sexual assault and rape¹⁷ will be hit hardest by the trigger law. He sees the top priority of any district attorney as keeping people safe, and signed on to the pledge because he doesn't want members of his community suffering or dying because they're afraid to seek necessary medical attention.

"There is no question that this ruling by the Supreme Court will make our community less safe," he says. "We know that this is not going to end abortions, it will end safe abortions for too many."

Both the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — the state's highest court for criminal cases — and state constitution are clear that the locally-elected district attorney is the only entity¹⁸ with the authority to pursue prosecution in a community, according to Garza.

Noting that that's been the law since Texas' founding, he adds that "we are about to find out just how radical¹⁹ this Republican party is."

"Republican leadership in the state of Texas, and nationally, has demonstrated time and time again that they are willing to play politics with our public safety, that there is no length to which they will not go to score political points," Garza says. "That is the reality of our current Republican party: They are increasingly an undemocratic party that has imposed radical views not supported by the majority of the people who live in the state or this country."

While Austin stands out as a reliably liberal city in a sea of nearby red counties, Garza says that the differences between it and the rest of the state are fading with each passing day.

He says statewide leadership is out of touch with what people in his community want and need — and they are scared and angered by its stance on abortion, and particularly by what their laws mean for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Despite that, he believes people are ultimately hopeful.

"We know that the right to an abortion — which has been identified in the United States Constitution, which has been a part of our legal system for over 50 years, which enjoys widespread popular support from the people who give consent to be governed — we know that it is a right that we had to fight for to win, and that we will have to fight for to get back," he adds. "And I think the people who live in this community are ready for that fight."

This interview was produced by Kaity Kline and Chad Campbell, and edited by Nell Clark and Mohamad ElBardicy.

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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？

7 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。

8 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

9 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

14 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

15 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

16 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。

17 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

18 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

19 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。