美国国家公共电台 NPR--Abortion access in D.C., may be up to the GOP majority on Capitol Hill

Abortion¹ access in D.C., may be up to the GOP majority on Capitol Hill

Transcript²

The Supreme³ Court's decision about abortion is now decided⁴ by each individual state. But that's of little comfort to the 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The Supreme Court pushed the question of abortion rights back to the states. But what does that mean for the residents of the District of Columbia, which is not a state? The fate of abortion access in the nation's capital may be left to Congress, where Washington residents don't have a vote. Martin Austermuhle of member station WAMU explains.

MARTIN AUSTERMUHLE, BYLINE⁵: Washington, D.C., is heavily Democratic, and virtually all of its elected officials say that abortion will remain legal in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling. But that may not last long, mostly because it's not up to them.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON: Because we do not have statehood, we are subservient⁶ still to the House and the Senate.

AUSTERMUHLE: Eleanor Holmes Norton is the city's non-voting representative in Congress. Even though Washington's residents have elected a mayor and local legislators for the last 50 years, the city remains⁷ a federal district under the control of Congress. And that means a Republican majority on Capitol Hill could act to outlaw⁸ abortion in the nation's capital, regardless of what the city's locally elected officials want.

In the past, congressional Republicans have tried to restrict abortion access in Washington. Bo Shuff is the director of DCVote, a group pushing for statehood.

BO SHUFF: We still see what's called the Dornan Amendment⁹ in place - it's been in place, I think, since the '90s - that prevents us from using local funds for abortion care for low-income women.

AUSTERMUHLE: Congressional Republicans have tried to outlaw abortions¹⁰ past 20 weeks and prohibit the procedure in any of the city's public hospitals, but those efforts were blocked by Democrats¹¹. A bill that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st state has passed the House twice in recent years, but has stalled in the Senate. Shuff says Senate Democrats should eliminate the filibuster¹² to allow the statehood bill to pass with a simple majority. That's the same move abortion-rights activists¹³ are pushing for to enshrine those protections in federal law. In the meantime, Washington's local officials are urging voters outside the city to help Democrats hold the House in November, one of the few protections they say exists to help keep abortion legal in the city.

For NPR News, I'm Martin Austermuhle in Washington.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 subservient   

adj.卑屈的，阿谀的

参考例句：

• He was subservient and servile.他低声下气、卑躬屈膝。
• It was horrible to have to be affable and subservient.不得不强作欢颜卖弄风骚，真是太可怕了。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

9 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

10 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

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。

13 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》