VOA标准英语2014--US Supreme Court to Weigh Employer’s Vs. Employee’s Religious Liberty

 

US Supreme¹ Court to Weigh Employer’s Vs. Employee’s Religious Liberty 

WASHINGTON — Most Americans get health insurance through their employers, and President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul² isn’t changing that. But a new requirement that contraception be covered - unless the employer is a religious organization - is being challenged in a case that goes before the Supreme Court on March 25.

Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts chain, is one of two family-owned companies involved in the Supreme Court case.

Its multibillionaire chief executive is David Green. If his firm’s health insurance plan provided a contraceptive that is used after intercourse³ -- such as the so-called "morning after pill" -- to an employee, his evangelical Christian⁴ family would be party to an abortion⁵, said his son and company president Steve Green.

“This is an issue of life, that we cannot be a part of taking life. And so to be in a situation where our government is telling us we have to be, is incredible,” he said in a corporate⁶ video.

The Supreme Court will have to consider two tricky⁷ legal questions. One is whether for-profit corporations have a right to religious freedom similar to what the U.S. Constitution gives to citizens. And the other is, even if that’s not the case, whether business owners’ religious rights come before those of their employees.

VOA was not allowed to interview employees at Hobby Lobby or the other company in the case, Conestoga Wood Specialties⁸. It is owned by a family of Mennonites, a traditional Protestant group.

But polls show that while the overwhelming majority of Americans favor contraceptive coverage⁹, many think business owners who have moral objections should not be forced to provide it.

“If I was an employer or had employees under me, I would probably want to fight that just because I don’t feel it’s the right thing to do,” said Julie Jackson, a nurse from Arizona on a visit to Washington.

“To me, it’s not the employer’s position or right to be able to dictate¹⁰ what their employees - what types of services they get,” said Robyn Jardine, a family therapist from Arkansas.

A Hobby Lobby and Conestoga victory could have wide-ranging implications, and may even give license¹¹ to discrimination, said Caroline Fredrickson of the left-leaning American Constitution Society.

She gave the example of a taxi driver “who doesn’t believe that women should appear in public by themselves” and decides not to give them rides unless they are accompanied by a man.

“Right now that would be illegal,” said Fredrickson. “But can we say after such a ruling that it wouldn’t be a burden on his religious beliefs?”

A ruling the other way, however, could clear the way for restrictions¹² on religious practice. The example given is a ban on kosher and halal slaughter¹³, as some European countries have instituted, said Lori Windham of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing Hobby Lobby.

“It would say to Americans that you’re not able to live out your faith in how you run a family business. And so this could have serious impacts, especially for minority faiths," she said.

Experts say the controversy¹⁴ is particular to America’s system of employer-provided health insurance, and would not be an issue for business owners in a single-payer system in which the state provides health care services.

The Supreme Court has a slight conservative majority. But that may not be a factor in this case. Last month, Arizona’s Republican Governor Jan Brewer¹⁵ vetoed a bill that would have let bakeries, florists¹⁶ and wedding photographers refuse to do business at same-sex weddings.

 

A decision on the Supreme Court case is expected within several months.

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 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

3 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

4 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。

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。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

8 specialties   

n.专门，特性，特别；专业( specialty的名词复数 )；特性；特制品；盖印的契约

参考例句：

• Great Books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. 名著绝不引经据典，艰深难懂，而是通俗易读。它们不是专家为专业人员撰写的专业书籍。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Brain drains may represent a substantial reduction in some labor force skills and specialties. 智力外流可能表示某种劳动力技能和特长大量减少。 来自辞典例句

9 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

10 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

11 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。

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 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

14 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。

15 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

16 florists   

n.花商，花农，花卉研究者( florist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The little dressmaker bought an envelope of nasturtium seeds at the florists. 那个个子矮小的女裁缝在花铺里买了一包金莲花种子。 来自辞典例句
• I have more important things to do than petulant florists. 我有比教训坏脾气的花匠更重要的事情要做。 来自互联网