美国国家公共电台 NPR--Justice Department files a lawsuit against Idaho's restrictive abortion law

Justice Department files a lawsuit¹ against Idaho's restrictive abortion² law

Transcript³

In its first legal challenge over reproductive rights since Roe⁴ v Wade⁵ was overturned, the Justice Department is suing Idaho over a near total abortion ban.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The Justice Department has issued its first legal challenge over abortion rights since the Supreme⁶ Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Federal authorities are suing Idaho over a near-total abortion ban. At the White House, President Biden said it's a necessary step to address what he called a health care crisis.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: The Justice Department stepped in to make sure that this extreme state law criminalizing abortion does not put women's health and lives at risk.

FADEL: As NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson reports, more action from the federal government is on the way.

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE⁷: The Biden administration's case against Idaho is the first for a reason. Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Idaho legislation, set to take effect later this month, clashes with federal law, which should prevail under the supremacy⁸ clause of the Constitution.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MERRICK GARLAND: Federal law invalidates state laws that are in direct contradiction. This has really nothing to do with anything that the Supreme Court said and certainly nothing to do with going around the Supreme Court.

JOHNSON: The DOJ case is pretty simple. It argues the state is flouting⁹ a federal law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor¹⁰ Act and placing emergency room doctors and other medical professionals in criminal jeopardy¹¹ if they perform abortions¹² to help stabilize¹³ the health of pregnant women.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GARLAND: It would subject doctors to arrest and criminal prosecution¹⁴, and it would then place the burden on the doctors to prove that they are not criminally liable.

JOHNSON: That puts doctors in an impossible situation when they face patients who suffer from ectopic pregnancy¹⁵ or complications from a miscarriage¹⁶, says Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. Gupta leads a new task force designed to protect reproductive rights.

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VANITA GUPTA: We know that these are frightening and uncertain times for pregnant women and their providers, and the Justice Department, through the work of its task force, is committed to doing everything we can to ensure continued lawful¹⁷ access to reproductive services.

JOHNSON: In a written statement, Idaho's Republican Governor Brad Little said he'd vigorously defend the state in the face of what he described as federal meddling¹⁸. But the Justice Department is not deterred¹⁹. Federal authorities say they're looking at restrictions²⁰ in other states with an eye toward future challenges. Outside scholars say that, like the Idaho case, the federal law could be a, quote, "sword to poke²¹ holes in state abortion bans." DOJ is also defending the federal government, which has been sued by the Republican attorney general in Texas over its guidance to ER doctors and hospitals that take funding from Medicare. Gupta says the task force will monitor state efforts to prohibit abortion medication and limits on people's travel to other states to get health care.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GUPTA: And as the legal landscape continues to grow more complex, we know that access to legal assistance will be critical for women and providers all over the country.

JOHNSON: She says the Justice Department will help support those efforts. The Biden administration cast the fallout from the Supreme Court's abortion ruling as a matter of gender²² and racial justice. White House counsel Stuart Delery compared a gathering²³ of lawyers focused on reproductive rights last week to the mobilization of advocates during the civil rights movement nearly 60 years ago.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

STUART DELERY: Today, as in 1963, the collective talent and training of lawyers across the country can make a difference.

JOHNSON: He says lawyers are uniquely positioned to take a stand for justice and protect patients and providers.

Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

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 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。

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 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

9 flouting   

v.藐视，轻视( flout的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• By selling alcohol to minors,the shop is deliberately flouting the law. 向未成年人出售烈性酒，是商店故意犯罪法。 来自口语例句
• By selling alcohol to minor, the shop is deliberately flouting the law. 向未成年人出售烈性酒，是商店故意犯法。 来自互联网

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

11 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

12 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

13 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

14 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。

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 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

17 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

18 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

19 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

20 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

21 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。

22 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

23 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。