美国国家公共电台 NPR--Several state ballot measures resulted in victories for abortion rights supporters

Several state ballot¹ measures resulted in victories for abortion² rights supporters

Transcript³

Voters generally favored abortion rights in abortion-related ballot initiatives this year. That could have implications for both policy and strategy.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Abortion rights supporters had a successful run of ballot measures this year. In states where voters were asked to weigh in directly, they supported measures protecting abortion rights and rejected those that could threaten those rights. NPR national correspondent Sarah McCammon covers abortion rights policy and joins us now. Good morning, Sarah.

SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE⁴: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: OK. So let's start with what the actual impact of these ballot measures are. What do the results mean?

MCCAMMON: Right. So nothing changes right away in the states that passed protections for abortion rights, so Michigan, California, Vermont. But those votes do make it more difficult to roll those rights back in the future. In Kentucky, voters rejected an amendment⁵ that would have said that their state constitution contains no protections for abortion. So it's kind of a double negative there.

FADEL: Right.

MCCAMMON: But there are two abortion bans in effect right now in Kentucky. They're being challenged in court. And this week's result, Leila, could help to strengthen that case.

FADEL: OK. So when faced with a direct choice, voters chose to reject measures that threaten abortion rights protection. So what does that say about where voters stand on this issue?

MCCAMMON: Well, voters in these states seem to be signaling their opposition⁶ to the deep restrictions⁷ that have taken effect in about a dozen states since this summer. Here's what Rachel Sweet, who led the winning campaigns in - both in Kansas in August and in Kentucky this week, said after Kentucky's vote.

RACHEL SWEET: Clearly, when voters get to decide directly on an issue, they will, you know, generally overwhelmingly support the right to access safe and legal abortion. So when we can take this issue out of the hands of politicians and let the people decide directly, we can get some really exciting results.

MCCAMMON: And we're talking about red states here. In Kentucky, GOP Senator Rand Paul easily won reelection.

FADEL: Right.

MCCAMMON: But voters still rejected that amendment. So this suggests a willingness among some Republicans to cross party lines when it comes to abortion rights.

FADEL: OK. So how are groups who oppose abortion responding to this.

MCCAMMON: Right. They're emphasizing where they did win, so some gains in Congress. Several Republican governors who signed abortion bans kept their jobs pretty easily, including Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

FADEL: OK.

MCCAMMON: And as for the ballot initiatives, anti-abortion groups are stressing that they were outspent, which is true. They say they believe that voters were misled in some cases by some of the messaging around these initiatives. Marjorie Dannenfelser of SBA Pro-Life America spoke⁸ to reporters yesterday, said she's concerned more states will pass ballot measures along the lines of California's. And she argues that it's often better for abortion laws to be made by elected officials after a robust⁹ public debate.

MARJORIE DANNENFELSER: It is the biggest concern that we have in the pro-life movement that we gain our advantage that we find through candidates debating the issue - where we don't have that advantage when we're outspent 10-to-1 in a referendum. It is a serious problem.

MCCAMMON: But, Leila, the challenge for groups like hers is that most Americans are generally supportive of abortion rights with some limits, and don't align¹⁰ with a lot of these laws, you know, banning abortion, for example, in cases of rape¹¹ and incest.

FADEL: OK. So anti-abortion groups worry that ballot measures may chip away at their gains. Are we likely to see more of them then?

MCCAMMON: Yeah. NYU law professor Melissa Murray thinks there's a real appetite among many voters to push back against some of these laws.

MELISSA MURRAY: So you know, California may have a different logic¹² for this than, say, Kansas, where, you know, the prospect¹³ of government encroachment¹⁴ might seem like the antithesis¹⁵ of conservatism. But it's all casting out in the same way.

MCCAMMON: So I'm hearing it's likely that there will be more of these in states that have a statewide citizen referendum process. And I've heard states talked about - like Ohio, Arkansas and Missouri - as potential future targets for ballot campaigns.

FADEL: NPR's Sarah McCammon. Thank you.

MCCAMMON: Thank you.

1 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

2 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。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 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。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 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

8 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。

9 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

10 align   

vt.使成一线，结盟，调节；vi.成一线，结盟

参考例句：

• Align the ruler and the middle of the paper.使尺子与纸张的中部成一条直线。
• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals.有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。

11 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。

12 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

14 encroachment   

n.侵入，蚕食

参考例句：

• I resent the encroachment on my time.我讨厌别人侵占我的时间。
• The eagle broke away and defiantly continued its encroachment.此时雕挣脱开对方，继续强行入侵。

15 antithesis   

n.对立；相对

参考例句：

• The style of his speech was in complete antithesis to mine.他和我的讲话方式完全相反。
• His creation was an antithesis to academic dogmatism of the time.他的创作与当时学院派的教条相对立。