VOA慢速英语2020--堕胎手术在教皇的祖国阿根廷合法化

Argentina's Senate passed a law legalizing abortion¹ up to the 14th week of pregnancy² Wednesday. The vote came after the senate debated the measure for 12 hours.

It is considered a victory for the women's movement that has been fighting for the measure for more than 30 years.

The vote also means that abortion will also be legal after the 14th week in cases of rape³ or if there is a danger to the mother's life. Argentina's new law might affect the legality of abortion across South America, where the operation is mostly illegal.

The measure passed by a vote of 38 to 29. The bill had already been approved by Argentina's Chamber⁴ of Deputies, the lower house, and had the support of President Alberto Fernández.

"Safe, legal and free abortion is now the law," Fernández wrote on Twitter after the vote. During his campaign for the presidency⁵, Fernandez had promised to legalize abortion. "Today, we are a better society that expands women's rights and guarantees public health," he added.

Argentina, the former home of Pope Francis, is the largest Latin American country to legalize abortion. The operation is legal in Uruguay, Cuba, Mexico City, Mexico's Oaxaca state, the Antilles and French Guiana. But it remains⁶ largely illegal across South America.

Outside the Senate, pro- and anti-abortion activists⁷ gathered, separated by a large barrier. The bill's supporters wore the color green that represents their abortion rights movement. They waved green flags as Vice⁸ President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced the result. She cried "legal abortion in the hospital!" as the measure was passed.

Argentina until now has punished women and those who help them end pregnancies⁹. The only exceptions were cases involving rape or a risk to the health of the mother, but those were denied in some parts of the country.

Before the vote, the Roman Catholic bishop¹⁰'s conference had denounced the measure as an "obsession¹¹."

Just hours before the Senate debate began Tuesday, the Pope tweeted: "The Son of God was born an outcast, in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God."

Following the vote, the bishops¹² released a statement saying the measure "will deepen even further the divisions in our country." It said the country's leadership was distant from the anti-abortion sentiment across the nation.

Before the vote, the Catholic Church had joined forces with evangelical Christians¹⁴ in the country in an effort to defeat the measure.

"The Catholic Church in Argentina has great sway. There's a very strong Catholic culture in the political world," sociologist¹⁵ Fortunato Mallimaci told the French News Agency. He wrote a book about religion and Argentina.

Argentine lawmakers rejected an earlier abortion bill in 2018. This time, it was supported by the government.

The outcome was considered uncertain because the political parties gave their senators the freedom to vote as they chose.

Amnesty International celebrated¹⁶ the vote as "an inspiration for other countries...and the world."

Those against the measure watched sadly as the vote took place.

"These politicians aren't representing the majority," said Luciana Prat. "People are against this," she added.

Government numbers say illegal abortions¹⁷ have caused more than 3,000 deaths in the country since 1983.

The measure permits health professionals and private medical centers to refuse to perform abortions. But they are required to tell a woman where to go to get the operation. An abortion cannot be refused if the woman's life or health is in danger.

Words In This Story

abortion – n. a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus¹⁸

bishop – n. an official in some Christian¹³ religions who is ranked higher than a priest and who is usually in charge of church matters in a specific geographical¹⁹ area

obsession – n. someone or something that a person thinks about constantly or frequently

outcast – n. someone who is not accepted by other people

evangelical – adj. of or relating to a Christian sect²⁰ or group that stresses the authority of the Bible, the importance of believing that Jesus Christ saved you personally from sin or hell, and the preaching of these beliefs to other people

sway – v. to cause (someone) to agree with you or to share your opinion

inspiration – n. something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create

1 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。

2 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

3 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

10 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

11 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

12 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

13 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。

14 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

15 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

16 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

17 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

18 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

19 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

20 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。