VOA双语新闻 Bush Vows to Veto Stem Cell Bill

President Bush says he will veto legislation that would relax restrictions¹ on embryonic² stem cell research. There is growing bipartisan support in Congress for changing those rules.

布什总统表示他将否决要求放松对胚胎干细胞研究限制的立法提案。而国会两党议员对要求放松限制的支持率正在上升。

President Bush says he will not allow legislators to roll back limits on stem cell research he set in 2001.

布什总统表示他不会允许国会议员们取消他在2001年对干细胞研究所做的限制。

"I've made very clear to the Congress that the use of federal money, taxpayers³' money, to promote science which destroys life in order to save life, I'm against that. And therefore if the bill does that, I will veto it," Mr. Bush said.

布什总统说：“我对国会已经讲得很清楚，如果用联邦政府的钱、纳税人的钱进行为了拯救生命而必须先扼杀生命的科学研究，我会反对的。因此，如果有这样的提案，我将予以否决。”

Four years ago, President Bush restricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to a limited number of existing stem cell lines.

四年前，布什总统把用联邦资金赞助的胚胎干细胞研究限制在有限的几项已有的干细胞种类上。

Supporters of legislation to expand that number say it could help develop treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's. Bipartisan backers of the bill are hoping for a vote in the House of Representatives next week.

支持修改立法的人说，他们要求扩大研究项目数量是因为这有助于研究如何治疗像阿兹海默氏老年痴呆症这样的疾病。支持这项提案的两党议员希望下星期能在众议院进行投票表决。

White House officials say the president is not opposed to all stem cell research, just the creation of new embryonic lines which result in the death of a fetus⁴.

白宫官员说总统并不是反对所有干细胞研究，只是反对为创造新的胚胎种类而造成胎儿死亡的研究。

That makes it a highly divisive issue in a nation where the political fight over abortion⁵ is still intense.

在美国这个因为堕胎而吵得不可开交的国家里，干细胞研究是一个争议很大的问题。

Some prominent Republicans, including former First Lady Nancy Reagan, have called on President Bush to ease restrictions on federal funding for more embryonic stem cell lines. Former President Ronald Reagan died last year after a long battle with Alzheimer's. His son, Ron Jr., made stem cells an issue in last year's presidential campaign with a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

包括前第一夫人南希·里根在内的一些著名共和党人，也呼吁布什总统放松限制，允许联邦资金赞助更多的对胚胎干细胞种类的研究。前总统罗纳德·里根去年死于长期折磨他的阿兹海默氏老年痴呆症。他的儿子罗恩，在去年总统大选期间在民主党全国代表大会上发表的演讲中，曾把干细胞研究作为问题提了出来。
 

1 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

2 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

3 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

4 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

5 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。