VOA慢速英语2021 德州最严堕胎法迫使女性向外寻求帮助

（单词翻译）

Texas Abortion¹ Law Forces Women to Go Out of State for Help

A Texas law took effect last week that bans most abortions², a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy³.

上周，德克萨斯州的一项法律生效，禁止大多数堕胎——一种用于终止妊娠的医疗程序。

The law says abortions may not take place if the doctor can hear or see the fetus's heart activity.

法律规定，如果医生能听到或看到胎儿的心脏活动，就不能堕胎。

That is usually possible by about six weeks into a pregnancy.

通常在怀孕六周左右可能听到或看到胎儿的心脏活动。

Most women do not even know they are pregnant within that time period.

在这个时间段内，大多数女性甚至不知道自己怀孕了。

Even before the restrictive measure took effect, abortion providers in neighboring states were receiving more calls than usual from women asking for help.

就在限制措施生效之前，邻州的堕胎提供人员收到了比往常更多的女性求助电话。

An Oklahoma clinic had received more than two times its number of calls, two-thirds of them from Texas.

俄克拉荷马州的一家诊所接到的电话数量是之前的两倍多，其中三分之二来自德克萨斯州。

A Kansas clinic is expecting a patient increase of up to 40 percent based on calls from women in Texas.

根据德克萨斯州女性的来电数量，堪萨斯州的一家诊所预计，患者将增加高达40%。

A Colorado clinic had already started seeing more patients from other states, so it increased its supplies and hired additional employees before the Texas law took effect.

科罗拉多州的一家诊所已经开始接待更多来自其他州的患者，所以在德克萨斯州的法律生效之前，该诊所增加了供应，并雇佣了更多员工。

Anna Rupani is co-director of Fund Texas Choice, a nonprofit that helps pay travel costs and more for patients seeking out-of-state abortions.

安娜·鲁帕尼是德克萨斯选择基金会(Fund Texas Choice)的联席主任，该基金会是一个非营利性组织，帮助寻求州外堕胎的患者支付旅费等等。

"There's real panic about how are they going to get an abortion within six weeks," she said.

她说：“人们对如何在六周内成功堕胎感到非常恐慌。”

"There's this fear that if I can't get it done in six weeks, I may not be able to get it done because I may not be able to leave my job or my family for more than a day."

“人们担心，如果不能在六周内完成堕胎，可能就再也堕不了了，因为可能无法离岗或离家超过一天。”

Fund Texas Choice already has seen more women reaching out for help.

德克萨斯选择基金会已经看到更多的女性在寻求帮助。

The group usually gets about 10 new cases per week.

通常该组织每周会收到大约10个新病例。

But, it took calls for ten cases on Wednesday alone, when the new law took effect.

但是，当新法律生效时，仅在周三一天就接到了10个来电。

Texas Governor Greg Abbott banned abortions in March 2020 for about one month under a COVID-19 emergency order.

2020年3月，根据新冠肺炎紧急命令，德克萨斯州州长格雷格·阿博特禁止堕胎约一个月。

One woman, Miranda, found out she was pregnant just as that order ended.

一位名叫米兰达的女性在禁令结束时发现自己怀孕了。

She and her partner had lost their jobs in San Antonio during the pandemic.

她和她的伴侣在疫情期间失去了在圣安东尼奥的工作。

She said, "The last thing I wanted to do was be pregnant."

她说：“我最不愿意的事就是怀孕。”

She spoke⁴ about her experience on the condition that only her first name be reported.

她讲述了自己的经历，条件是只能报道她的名字。

Fund Texas Choice and the Lilith Fund, another group that offers patients financial assistance for abortion costs helped Miranda find treatment in Dallas, a five-hour drive away.

德克萨斯选择基金会和另一个为患者提供堕胎费用经济援助的组织莉莉丝基金会(Lilith Fund)，帮助米兰达在五小时车程外的达拉斯找到了治疗。

The groups helped pay for her transportation, overnight stay and other costs.

这些团体帮助支付了她的交通费、过夜费用和其他费用。

"It's so comforting because it's like someone saying, 'We got you. Let's take care of this together,'" Miranda said.

米兰达说：“这让人很欣慰，因为就像有人告诉我，‘有我在呢，我们一起来解决这件事。’”

Such aid will be even more critical for those seeking treatment under the new ban.

对于那些在新禁令下寻求治疗的人来说，这种援助则更为关键。

The Trust Women Foundation is a reproductive health justice group seeking expanded access to abortion.

信托妇女基金会是一个寻求扩大堕胎机会的生殖健康正义团体。

Their centers in Kansas and Oklahoma have set up more than their usual number of appointments in recent days.

最近几天，他们在堪萨斯州和俄克拉何马州的中心安排了比平时更多的预约。

Rebecca Tong, co-executive director of Trust Women Oklahoma City, said, "Oklahoma has just barely enough clinics for the amount of people here.

俄克拉荷马城信托妇女组织的联合执行董事丽贝卡·唐说：“俄克拉荷马州的诊所只够这里这么多人使用。

If anyone is thinking, 'Oh, they can just go out of state, it'll be so easy,' a lot of clinics in the Midwest and South, we don't do abortion care five days a week."

如果有人想，‘哦，他们可以离开这个州，很容易的，’中西部和南部有很多诊所，我们不会一周五天都做堕胎护理。

Women who cannot travel or are fearful because they are undocumented immigrants might turn to abortion drugs, said Diana Gomez of the nonprofit media group Progress Texas.

非营利媒体组织Progress Texas的戴安娜·戈麦斯表示，无法旅行或因为是非法移民而感到恐惧的女性可能会使用堕胎药物。

Several Republican-led states have passed laws making it harder to get such medicine.

共和党领导的几个州已经通过了法律，让获得堕胎药物更加困难。

Texas is considering similar restrictions⁵.

德克萨斯州也在考虑采取类似的限制措施。

"They are going to have to go underground and find alternative means in our state," Gomez said.

戈麦斯说：“他们将被迫进行暗箱操作，在本州寻找替代手段。”

On Monday, American Attorney General Merrick Garland said the federal government will work to protect women who want an abortion in the state.

周一，美国司法部长梅里克·加兰德表示，联邦政府会努力保护该州希望堕胎的女性。

The attorney general is the top U.S. law-enforcement official.

司法部长是美国最高执法官员。

Words in This Story

advocate - n. a person who argues for or supports a cause or policy

panic – n. a state or feeling of extreme fear that makes someone unable to act or think normally

clinic - n. a place where people get medical help

access - n. a way of getting near, at, or to something or someone

alternative – adj. (always used before a noun) offering or expressing a choice