美国国家公共电台 NPR--Senate Democrats plan a vote on abortion rights but it's unlikely to pass

Senate Democrats¹ plan a vote on abortion² rights but it's unlikely to pass

Transcript³

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar who's expected to vote for the Women's Health Protection Act. If it becomes law, it would set federal standards for the right to an abortion.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar joins us next. She is one of the Democratic senators expected to vote this week on the Women's Health Protection Act. If it became law, which is unlikely, it would set federal standards for the right to an abortion. Senator, welcome to the program.

AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, thanks so much, Steve. It's great to be on.

INSKEEP: In your view, does this bill take the rules of Roe⁵ v. Wade⁶ and make them law in case Roe v. Wade is overturned?

KLOBUCHAR: That's exactly what it does. It codifies⁷ - puts into law the protections that appear to be soon stripped away from the women of this country. With this leaked opinion, the court literally⁸ is poised⁹ to strip away nearly 50 years of women's rights, Steve. And we know the fall will be swift because over 20 states already have laws in place, including 13 that would automatically go into effect. And I just want to make clear that is against the wishes of, depending on the numbers used, between 70% to 80% of Americans, women and the men that stand with them. And to me, it comes down to a fundamental question. Who's making these personal decisions for women? Is it Ted⁴ Cruz, or is it a woman and her doctor?

INSKEEP: Well, this is very interesting...

KLOBUCHAR: Are women free and equal citizens anymore? Because when you read this opinion, you realize it doesn't take you back to the 1950s. It takes you back to the 1850s.

INSKEEP: This is a very interesting point that you raise when you talk about the majority, Senator. You're correct that there was a leaked draft opinion. We're told by the Supreme¹⁰ Court it's not their final ruling, but it suggests the direction the court is heading. You're correct that majorities support the right to an abortion. The numbers change depending on which restrictions¹¹ you should impose or leave out, but there's a majority there. But that is a question for you. Your bill's not going to pass. The court is going to rule something that's going to affect Roe v. Wade in some way, it seems. Your side, generally speaking, is the majority view. But how do you translate that majority into political power?

KLOBUCHAR: Yeah, good question. I think we all know what's happened here. The Republicans in the Senate have stacked the court, and I don't believe the extreme justices that are on that court reflect where the American people are. So now it is on us to make sure that the will of the people is known. And the way you do that is through elections. Yes, we will have this vote. I think it's really important to have this vote to show where everyone stands. And what we know from in the House, not one Republican - it was 218 to 11. They passed this bill in the House of Representatives to codify¹² Roe v. Wade, but not one Republican voted for it.

And so it's really important for the public to understand where people stand. And I think, you know, usually they say, don't get mad, vote. Well, what I say right now is get mad and vote. And again, the women of this country and the men that stand with them are going to have to see where people stand because then they have to translate that into their decisions in the polls in the fall.

INSKEEP: As I understand, Senator, two Republican senators - Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski - have offered a narrower alternative that would support the right to abortion. But it's narrower. It would likely get more votes. It would likely get a majority of votes, as a matter of fact. Why not go for that?

KLOBUCHAR: Well, let me make this clear. What our bill does is - says very straight - it says that doctors and hospitals can follow the rules that we have right now with Roe v. Wade. And my problem with the bill that they have introduced is that it doesn't explicitly¹³ stop states from limiting access.

There are states doing crazy things right now. Missouri is considering a law that would actually allow you to sue if a woman tried to go across state lines to get an abortion. Louisiana is advancing a law that says it's homicide if there's an abortion after an egg is fertilized¹⁴. Those are the kinds of things that we're looking at right now. Medication abortions¹⁵, right? - a lot of young women are using that, yet 19 states have put in bans or restrictions. So that's why I'm concerned if you narrow it so that some of these restrictions are already allowed to stand.

INSKEEP: Interesting that you mention that Missouri proposal that would reach across state lines. We've heard of a lot of proposals like that. We're also tracking places like New York and Connecticut that are talking about legislation that would effectively defy other states' laws, say we're not going to extradite you if you're accused of that kind of crime, that sort of thing. Is there a real risk, Senator, of crisis here after a court ruling where there is genuine clashes between states?

KLOBUCHAR: Yes. And that is why when Justice Blackmun, a Republican-appointed - Republican president-appointed justice from Minnesota, wrote this opinion, he said it's a fundamental right because you don't want a patchwork¹⁶ of laws. You don't want a waitress in the heart of Texas to have to decide if she's going to quit her job to take a bus to go 250 miles across state lines. You know, it's hard to put yourself in other people's shoes, but people better start doing it because this is a fundamental right. And women in Minnesota should have the same rights as women in Texas. It shouldn't be a patchwork. It's a right. It's been there for 50 years.

INSKEEP: Senator, thanks for your time, really appreciate it, as always.

KLOBUCHAR: Thanks, Steve.

INSKEEP: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

1 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》

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 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

6 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

7 codifies   

n.把（法律）编成法典( codify的名词复数 )v.把（法律）编成法典( codify的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The latest draft of the agreement codifies the panel's decision. 最新的协议草案把专家小组的决定加以整理，形成了条文。 来自辞典例句
• The law that codifies evil is the essence of lawlessness. 肯定坏事的法律实质上等于无法。 来自互联网

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

10 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。

11 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

12 codify   

v.将法律、法规等编成法典

参考例句：

• The noble,Dracon,was asked to codify the laws.贵族德拉古被选为立法者。
• The new government promised to codify the laws.新政府应允要编纂法典。

13 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

14 Fertilized   

v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
• Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。

15 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

16 patchwork   

n.混杂物；拼缝物

参考例句：

• That proposal is nothing else other than a patchwork.那个建议只是一个大杂烩而已。
• She patched new cloth to the old coat,so It'seemed mere patchwork. 她把新布初到那件旧上衣上，所以那件衣服看上去就象拼凑起来的东西。