VOA慢速英语2015 宗教自由法案在美国引发争议

Religious Freedom Acts Raise Controversy¹ in US 宗教自由法案在美国引发争议

On March 26, Republican Governor Mike Pence of the state of Indiana signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, into law. Several days later, the Arkansas legislature passed a similar bill.

Supporters call them religious freedom laws. Opponents say they are laws that permit discriminatory acts against homosexuals and others.

After a week of public uproar² over the new laws, government officials from Indiana and Arkansas backed away and amended³ the measures.

What is a Religious Freedom Restoration Act?

Back in 1993, the federal government passed an RFRA. Then-President Bill Clinton signed it into law. That original measure was designed to protect religious minorities from having to violate their beliefs in order to follow a general law.

It was created after a Native American man was dismissed from his job after he had failed a drug test. The drug he had used was peyote. His tribe used the plant in religious ceremonies. So the idea behind the law was to bar the government from unnecessary interference in an individual’s religious practices.

Before this year, 19 states had adopted their own RFRA laws. But the Indiana and Arkansas laws have been more widely disputed. One reason is because they make it possible for some companies and organizations – not just individuals – to say they have a religious reason not to follow a law.

The Indiana and Arkansas state laws follow a recent federal Supreme⁴ Court decision. The court ruled that the Hobby Lobby company could refuse to provide birth control to employees as a health benefit. Using birth control violates the owner’s Christian⁵ religious beliefs.

Some people also objected to the Indiana and Arkansas laws because they feared the laws could permit businesses to discriminate⁶ against homosexuals. Activists⁷ point to discrimination cases of the past, such as the New Mexico photographer who refused a gay couple as a client because her religion did not support gay marriage. The photographer lost that case. Under Indiana’s law she might have provided a better defense⁸.

Supporters of Indiana’s RFRA say the state law is similar to the 1993 federal law. They say even President Barack Obama had supported the law when he was a state senator in Illinois.

Josh Ernest is the White House spokesman. He says the Indiana law was a “significant expansion” of the original federal RFRA.

Backlash

Backlash to the expanded law in Indiana began with civil rights activists. They argued that the measure could permit a business to refuse service to people if such service created a “substantial burden” to a business owner’s religious beliefs.

Along with civil rights groups, celebrities¹⁰, politicians and media spoke⁹ out against the law. Some presumed Republican presidential candidates gave support to Governor Pence and the law at first. But as criticism of the measure grew, many politicians reconsidered their original statements.

“The Indianapolis Star” newspaper ran a front page editorial with the headline “FIX THIS NOW” calling for a new law.

Changes to the laws

Five days after signing the RFRA, Governor Pence held a press conference. He said he had ordered the legislature to “fix” the bill. He said, “It would be helpful to move legislation this week that makes it clear that this law does not give businesses a right to deny services to anyone.”

That same day, Arkansas’ legislature passed an RFRA. Its governor Asa Hutchinson immediately sent the bill back for amendment¹¹.

Mr. Hutchinson said the bill would not receive such fast attention in ordinary times. But he said the times were not ordinary. He said the Arkansas government must find a balance and, in his words, “make sure that we communicate we’re not going to be a state that fails to recognize the diversity of our workplace, our economy and our future.”

But it was business interests, big and small, that exerted the most pressure on Indiana and Arkansas to change the laws.

Small businesses took action by putting up signs that say, “This business serves everyone.”

Big companies, including Accenture, Levi Strauss and Twitter, threatened to pull their business projects from Indiana. The retailer¹² Walmart, the largest employer in the U.S., also protested the law to the Arkansas state government.

Then, the National Collegiate Athletic¹³ Association, headquartered in Indiana, demanded that changes be made to the bill to prevent discrimination. The NCAA Final Four basketball competition is taking place Saturday in Indiana. The Final Four is one of the most popular sporting events in the U.S.

Even the professional competitive car racing¹⁴ organization, NASCAR, tweeted its displeasure with the bill. NASCAR is generally considered a stronghold of conservative positions.

Words in This Story

uproar - n. a situation in which many people are upset, angry or disturbed by something

original - adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

backlash - n. a strong public reaction against something, often in a way that is opposite to its intended effect

burden - n. someone or something that is very difficult to accept, do or deal with

presume - v. to think something is true without knowing that it is true

exert - v. to cause to have an effect or to be felt

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

3 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

4 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。

5 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。

6 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

7 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》

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

11 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。

12 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

13 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

14 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。