美国国家公共电台 NPR Justices Appear Skeptical Of Calif. Law Challenged By Anti-Abortion Centers

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The U.S. Supreme¹ Court is going to hear arguments today in a major First Amendment² case that involves abortion⁴. On one side are self-identified crisis pregnancy⁵ centers that seek to prevent abortions⁶. And on the other side is the state of California. The state enacted⁷ a law to ensure that these centers do not intentionally⁸ or unintentionally mislead the women who walk through their doors. NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg reports.

NINA TOTENBERG, BYLINE⁹: In 2015, California passed a law known as the FACT Act. The impetus¹⁰ was twofold - first, allegations that pregnancy centers opposed to abortion and birth control were using deceptive¹¹ practices, and second, concern that poor women especially didn't know about the free pregnancy-related services California provides. The law requires unlicensed crisis pregnancy centers to post a sign or otherwise disclose in writing that the center is not a licensed¹³ medical facility. As for the centers that are licensed by the state but do not provide a full range of pregnancy-related services, they are required to post a sign saying that the state provides free or low-cost access to prenatal and delivery care, birth control and abortion. As the state sees it, this is a neutral public health measure. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra...

XAVIER BECERRA: We're simply trying to make sure the recipient¹⁴ of health care information or advice understands exactly what he or she is entitled to in terms of services and that the information is accurate.

TOTENBERG: That's not how anti-abortion pregnancy centers see the law. They see it as compelled speech, unconstitutional because it turns them into mouthpieces for a government message they disagree with. Here's lawyer Kristen Waggoner.

KRISTEN WAGGONER: It is requiring a licensed center that complies with all of the obligations of the state, that is pro-life and wants to help women choose life point the way to an abortion. That is not simply information.

TOTENBERG: And as for unlicensed centers, she sees no reason they should be forced to disclose that they have no license¹² or medical personnel in charge.

WAGGONER: They're not doing anything that requires a license, so why would they need to say that?

TOTENBERG: There are plenty of good reasons, replies Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

NANCY NORTHUP: There has been an explosion of these fake health clinics that mislead women in ways that are very troubling and, in some cases, dangerous to their health.

TOTENBERG: There are, in fact, 2,700 anti-abortion pregnancy centers, more than three times the number of clinics that provide abortions. There's no data for how many of the 2,700 are unlicensed. But unlicensed clinics do offer pregnancy tests, limited ultrasounds, and to an unskeptical eye, they can look very much like a licensed medical facility. The personnel wear surgical¹⁵ scrubs or white coats. Patients are asked to fill out medical history questionnaires. Indeed, some clinics locate next door to abortion clinics, leading women seeking abortions to often go to the wrong place. I asked Kristen Waggoner whether those location choices are deliberate.

WAGGONER: I sure hope so because women should have both options, and they shouldn't see only a provider that has a financial incentive¹⁶ to get them to abort³ a child.

TOTENBERG: Other abortion opponents seem to openly advocate deception¹⁷. Jacob Hall is director of client services for an anti-abortion group of clinics called Care Net. At a recent conference, he advised pregnancy centers how to use search engines to identify keywords for use in marketing¹⁸ and on websites so as to attract women seeking abortions.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JACOB HALL: I know abortion pill is something that people are searching. Abortion clinic, abortion clinic near me, abortion cost - fantastic keywords if those phrases are on your website. If they're not, easy - just add them in. Somehow finesse¹⁹ a way to say, we're here to talk to you about abortion, including abortion pills and abortion surgery.

TOTENBERG: Brian Fisher of Human Coalition²⁰ has also advocated using these tactics. This sort of marketing is necessary, he argued last year, because...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BRIAN FISHER: The abortion-determined woman will not walk into a pregnancy center voluntarily.

TOTENBERG: Several women we contacted were infuriated by these tactics. Annie Filkowski went to a clinic that advertised free pregnancy tests. She spent hours there before learning she was not pregnant. And when she then asked a counselor²¹ to write her a birth control prescription²²...

ANNIE FILKOWSKI: She said, birth control causes infertility²³ and can give you cancer - just a lot of really crazy things.

TOTENBERG: Dartricia Walker says she went to a clinic for a pregnancy she very much wanted. She mistakenly thought it was a medically licensed facility and that the person who conducted the ultrasound was a nurse. Neither was true, and she had a miscarriage²⁴ that a doctor later told her might have been avoided.

DARTRICIA WALKER: I was really upset that I had been given the wrong date because if I had known that I was due sooner, I would've gone sooner to an OB-GYN.

TOTENBERG: Of course, there are excellent clinics that oppose abortion, too. Christine Vatuone is director of Informed Choices, a licensed clinic in California that opposes abortion. It has a staff of five, including two nurses, plus a volunteer OB-GYN who supervises medical procedures and 20 other volunteers. She says that all the patients are clearly told that they have three options - abortion, adoption²⁵ and parenting - and that every room in the center has a sign with five promises.

CHRISTINE VATUONE: That we will treat them with respect, that we will protect their privacy, that we will not pressure them, that we will support them and that we will not lie to them.

TOTENBERG: Many patients who seek out clinics like this one are thrilled with the often long-term counseling and material support the clinics provide - everything from food to baby clothes, diapers and car seats. As Laura Wu put it after visiting a crisis pregnancy center in New York...

LAURA WU: It just gave me that push to let me know that I can do this. It is possible for me to do this alone.

TOTENBERG: Passions run high when it comes to abortion and what supporters of the California law call nothing more than truth in advertising²⁶. Add the fact that most anti-abortion pregnancy centers have a firm Christian²⁷ perspective, and you have quite a volatile²⁸ mix. But even the aggressively anti-abortion Trump²⁹ administration is supporting the part of the California law that requires unlicensed clinics to say that they are not licensed medical facilities. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE SOUL'S RELEASE'S "RAIN AT DUSK")

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 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。

3 abort   

v.使流产，堕胎；中止；中止(工作、计划等)

参考例句：

• The captain instructed them to abort the mission.上尉指示他们中止执行任务。
• With this button the user can abort the audio sequence.用户可以用该按钮终止音频序列。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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

7 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

9 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。

10 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

11 deceptive   

adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• His appearance was deceptive.他的外表带有欺骗性。
• The storyline is deceptively simple.故事情节看似简单，其实不然。

12 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

13 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

14 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

15 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

16 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

17 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

18 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

19 finesse   

n.精密技巧，灵巧，手腕

参考例句：

• It was a disappointing performance which lacked finesse.那场演出缺乏技巧，令人失望。
• Lillian Hellman's plays are marked by insight and finesse.莉莲.赫尔曼的巨作以富有洞察力和写作技巧著称。

20 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

21 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

22 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

23 infertility   

n.不肥沃，不毛；不育

参考例句：

• It is the Geneva, Switzerland-based Biotech Company's second recombinant infertility drug. 它是瑞士生物技术公司在日内瓦的公司生产的第二种重组治疗不孕症的药。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术制药疫苗
• Endometritis is a cause of infertility. 子宫内膜炎是不育的原子。 来自辞典例句

24 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。

25 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

26 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

27 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

28 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

29 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。