2006年VOA标准英语-Abortion Protests Mark US Supreme Court An

By Jim Malone
Washington
23 January 2006

 
Pro-choice and pro-life activists¹ face off in front of the Supreme² Court 
  
Activists on both sides of the divisive abortion³ issue held protests in Washington to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized the procedure in the United States back in 1973.

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On Monday, thousands of anti-abortion activists staged a protest near the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court, calling on lawmakers and justices to trim back abortion rights.

Among them was the Reverend James Nesbit from Missouri.

"Lord, we bow very low here today for we are a guilty nation.  We shed the innocent blood of 45 million children, Lord, and we know from your own word that their blood is crying from the ground and our own actions have brought a curse upon our land," said Mr. Nesbit.

President Bush offered his support for the anti-abortion effort by phone, telling the protesters that they are pursuing a noble cause.

"This is a cause that appeals to the conscience of our citizens and is rooted in America's deepest principles and history tells us that with such a cause, we will prevail," said Mr. Bush.

Abortion rights supporters held a demonstration⁴ of their own on Sunday as they urged members of Congress to safeguard what they believe is a basic right for American women.

Karen Pearl is the interim⁵ president of Planned Parenthood, an organization that supports abortion rights.  She spoke⁶ on VOA's Talk to America program.

"It is very important that people have that right to decide the most fundamental, basic question, whether and when to become a parent, how big your family size should be," she said.  "All of those questions that enabled women to have an equal place in our society, an equal place to enjoy all the liberties that this country affords."

Abortion was made legal by the 1973 Supreme Court decision known as Roe⁷ Versus⁸ Wade⁹.  But in the years since, 34 states have passed laws requiring that parents either be notified or give consent before their underage daughters seek an abortion.

This year's anniversary also comes as the Senate prepares to debate the Supreme Court nomination¹⁰ of federal appeals Judge Samuel Alito.

During his confirmation¹¹ hearings, Judge Alito said he would keep an open mind on abortion despite comments he made 20 years ago that abortion is not protected by the Constitution.

Public opinion polls continue to show a majority of Americans favor abortion rights.  But surveys in recent years also indicate a growing number of Americans support some restrictions¹² on abortion.

Judge Alito was asked about public support for abortion during his Senate confirmation hearings.

"The legitimacy¹³ of the court would be undermined in any case if the court made a decision based on its perception of public opinion," said Mr. Alito.  "It should make its decisions based on the Constitution and the law.  It should not sway in the wind of public opinion at any time."

Judge Alito appears on track to be confirmed in the Senate where Republicans hold a majority.

Carl Stern is a legal expert at George Washington University.  He expects few Senate Democrats¹⁴ will support Judge Alito, at least in part because of his non-committal stance on abortion.

"The court has repeatedly reaffirmed the right, and expectations have grown up around it and so on," said Mr. Stern.  "But he would go no further than to say that he would approach the issue with an open mind and that will not quite satisfy his detractors."

Judge Alito was nominated by President Bush to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.  Even if Judge Alito turns out to be an abortion opponent, there are still five votes on the nine-member court who generally support upholding the Roe Versus Wade decision legalizing abortion rights.

1 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》

2 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。

3 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。

4 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 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。

7 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？

8 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

9 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。

10 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

11 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

12 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

13 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》