2019年经济学人 阿拉巴马州的大新闻:堕胎法案(1)（在线收听）

United States

来源于《美国》版块

Abortion laws

堕胎法案

Alabama shakes

阿拉巴马州的大新闻

Republican states are longing to challenge Roe v Wade

红洲渴望挑战罗伊诉韦德案

Never has the war sparked by Roe v Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that declared abortion a constitutional right, been as intense as it is now. Lawmakers in conservative states are passing ”heartbeat” bills banning abortion from the moment a heartbeat is detectable, around the sixth week of pregnancy—flagrantly violating Roe. To defend abortion rights, some liberal states are extending them, making it easier to have abortions in the third trimester. That has encouraged President Donald Trump to mount a fresh assault on late abortions, which he routinely characterises as babies being “ripped” from their mothers’ wombs.

1973年，最高法院由罗伊诉韦德案裁定堕胎是宪法赋予的一项权利，现在对此的争论可谓是史上最激烈。保守州的立法者正陆续通过“心跳”法案，禁止从胎儿心跳被检测到的那一刻起堕胎，这是在怀孕的第六周左右——公然违反罗伊诉韦德案的判决。为了捍卫堕胎的权利，一些自由派州正在延长堕胎的期限，这使得在妊娠晚期堕胎变得更加容易。这促使美国总统唐纳德?特朗普对晚期流产发起新一轮攻击。他经常将晚期流产描述为婴儿从母亲的子宫中“被撕裂”。

The most uncompromising attack on Roe has been launched in Alabama. On May 14th the state’s Senate passed a bill that would, in effect, ban abortion outright. Signed into law by the governor the following day, it constitutes the harshest abortion legislation passed in America in half a century. “The heartbeat bills don’t really tackle what Roe is about,” says Eric Johnston, president of the Alabama Pro-life Coalition, alluding to Roe’s protection of abortion until a fetus is viable, at around 24 weeks. “It seemed like the right time to challenge it properly.”

对罗伊案件判决最不妥协的抨击发生在阿拉巴马州。5月14日，该州参议院通过了一项法案，该法案将直接禁止堕胎。该法案在第二天由州长签署成为法律，这是半个世纪以来美国通过的最严厉的堕胎法案。“心跳法案并没有真正解决罗伊的问题，”阿拉巴马反堕胎联盟主席埃里克·约翰斯顿说。他指的是罗伊在怀孕24周左右的时候，对堕胎的保护，直到胎儿能够存活。

The bill, which the softly spoken Mr Johnston wrote, does not mess around. Comparing abortion to the most murderous atrocities of the 20th century—“German death camps, Chinese purges, Stalin’s gulags, Cambodian killing fields, and the Rwandan genocide”—it makes performing one a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison.

约翰斯顿先生用温和的语调写下了这份法案，这并不是胡闹。将堕胎比作20世纪最残忍的暴行——“德国的死亡集中营，中国的大屠杀，斯大林的古拉格集中营，柬埔寨的杀戮场，卢旺达的种族灭绝”——这使得堕胎成为重罪，最高可判处99年监禁。