Bush Support for Gay Marriage Ban Intensifies Debate

 

Jim Malone

A national debate over whether homosexuals should be allowed to marry one another intensified¹ Tuesday when President Bush announced that he favors a constitutional amendment² that would prohibit same-sex marriages. The question of gay marriages could become a central issue in the U.S. presidential election this year.
The president inserted himself into the middle of a volatile³ and divisive debate over gay marriage with his announcement at the White House Tuesday that he has decided⁴ to back a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages.
"The voice of the people must be heard," said Mr. Bush. "Activist⁵ courts have left the people with one recourse. If we are to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact⁶ a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America."
The president said the amendment is needed to stop judges from changing the definition of what he called the most enduring human institution. He also said the marriage of a man and a woman cannot be severed⁷ from what he said were its cultural, religious and natural roots.
The president's announcement brought a swift and negative reaction from homosexual rights activists⁸ around the country.
David Buckel, an attorney with the Lambda Legal Defense⁹ Fund, "For the families that we serve, this is a nuclear bomb. This can potentially wipe off the map their efforts to try to get equality for their families."
The president's decision came in the wake of a lot of recent activity on the gay marriage issue. Massachusetts officials are expected to begin issuing marriage licenses¹¹ to gays and lesbians in May at the request of the state supreme¹² court.
And in San Francisco, more than 3,200 same-sex couples have been married since the city began issuing marriage licenses earlier this month, including this woman who says society has little to fear from homosexuals marrying one another.
"By the time a constitutional amendment comes before the people," she said, "all of our marriages will have been legal for several years and people are going to see that there was no reason to fear our marriages."
The issue is sure to become a major subject of discussion in this year's presidential campaign. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the front-runner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination¹³, says the president is trying to tamper¹⁴ with the Constitution because he is in political trouble.
Senator Edward Kennedy, also from Massachusetts, indicated that Democrats¹⁵ in Congress are not anxious to begin work on the lengthy¹⁶ process of passing a constitutional amendment. "I hope we can all agree that Congress has more pressing challenges to consider than a divisive, discriminatory constitutional amendment that responds to a non-existent problem," he said.
But the president's decision to support an amendment opposing gay marriage was hailed by conservative groups, which have been pressing for his backing for months. Reverend Louis Sheldon is founder¹⁷ and president of the Traditional Values Coalition¹⁸. "Homosexuals are free to do whatever they want. But they are not free to steal an institution [that has been around] since the dawn of history and call it marriage."
Public opinion polls indicate most Americans oppose gay marriage, often by a margin¹⁹ of two to one. Those same polls suggest the public is more divided over whether to recognize so called civil unions in which homosexual couples are granted most of the legal rights and privileges given to married heterosexual couples.
At least 38 states and the federal government have approved laws or amendments²⁰ barring the recognition of gay marriages. Vermont recognizes civil unions among gays and lesbians, and a few other states have passed laws that extend some rights to spouses²² of same-sex marriages.
Conservative leaders say they believe the gay marriage issue could benefit President Bush and other Republican candidates in the November election. Brian Brown is with a group called the Family Institute of Connecticut.
"The people of this country oppose this, even in Massachusetts," said Mr. Brown. "And so this sort of leadership is very needed and I think President Bush is just doing what the people of this country want him to do, which is to stand up in defense of marriage."

注释：
intensify²³ [in5tensifai] v. 增强或加强
amendment [E5mendmEnt] n. 修正案
volatile [5vClEtail] adj. 易变的
religious [ri5lidVEs] adj. 宗教的
license¹⁰ [5laisEns] n. 证书
lesbian [5lezbiEn] n. 女性同性恋者
tamper [5tAmpE] vi.（与with 连用）擅改
discriminatory [di5skriminEtEri] adj. 表现出歧视的
spouse²¹ [spauz] n. 配偶婚姻的伴侣

1 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

7 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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》

9 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。

10 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。

11 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 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。

14 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

15 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》

16 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

17 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

18 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

19 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

20 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

21 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

22 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

23 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。