美国国家公共电台 NPR--Clinics that provide abortion services are increasingly worried about security

Clinics that provide abortion¹ services are increasingly worried about security

Transcript²

Colorado abortion clinics are seeing a surge in demand as neighboring states ban the procedure. They're also upgrading security amid ongoing³ threats.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Before Roe⁴ was overturned, some medical clinics that provide abortions⁵ faced harassment⁶, vandalism and arson⁷. Now Colorado Public Radio's Matt Bloom reports that providers are taking new security precautions while recalling a history of violent attacks.

MATT BLOOM, BYLINE⁸: The shooting at a Planned Parenthood on a snowy day in 2015 remains⁹ fresh in the minds of many people in Colorado.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Tragedy in Colorado Springs. Tonight, we know that three people have been killed in a standoff with a gunman who barricaded¹⁰ himself inside a Planned Parenthood building.

BLOOM: Among the dead were two people accompanying patients and a police officer. The shooter pleaded guilty and described himself as a, quote, "warrior¹¹ for the babies." He has not faced trial because he's been found mentally unfit. But health care workers worry the Supreme¹² Court decision and political rhetoric¹³ lately could inspire more attacks.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LAUREN BOEBERT: Abortion is not health care. It is murder.

BLOOM: That's Colorado Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert. That kind of language has an impact, says Melissa Fowler with the National Abortion Federation¹⁴, the country's largest association of providers.

MELISSA FOWLER: You've seen more politicians really being bold and out, talking about abortion providers, demonizing providers. And in some cases, it seems to be more acceptable for people to be out about their extremist behavior that perhaps they did secretly before.

BLOOM: Incidents of blockades, assaults and break-ins at clinics have all more than doubled over the past three years, according to a recent survey from NAF. Reported stalkings of clinic staff jumped 600% from 2020 to 2021. Fowler says numbers are expected to be even higher this year due to the recent Dobbs decision.

FOWLER: Unfortunately, because we've been tracking this and we see it every day, it's not surprising.

BLOOM: There's a long history of violence against abortion providers.

WARREN HERN: All of this is bulletproof windows, OK?

BLOOM: The doors to Dr. Warren Hern's clinic in Boulder¹⁵ are locked. And the reception desk is protected behind a thick layer of glass. In 1988, a man carrying a high-powered rifle fired five rounds into the office's front window.

HERN: One of the bullets almost hit one member of my staff. I had just walked through. Whoever fired the rifle was trying to kill somebody.

BLOOM: It's just one of many attacks on Dr. Hern's practice over his nearly 50 years of performing abortions. He's grateful that Colorado and many states have a buffer¹⁶ zone rule that keeps protesters at least eight feet away from patients as they enter the building. But he says it's not enough to protect people.

HERN: It's stressful for the patients if they encounter the demonstrator. But we give the patients a ride in our van between here and the hotel so they don't have to face that every day.

BLOOM: He's seen more threats over the phone and through email in recent weeks, something that he believes will get worse.

HERN: I think that the threat to our lives is permanent. It's not going to go away. The anti-abortion people have shown that they're willing to accept any level of violence up to and including assassination¹⁷ and bombing.

BLOOM: A few years ago, he started sleeping with a rifle by his bed. Dr. Rebecca Cohen says the recent Dobbs decision was a wake-up call. But they started maxing out security at her clinic in Denver even before that.

REBECCA COHEN: We have been taking security measures of, you know, not revealing our clinic location to people that don't have an appointment, making sure that we really do screen any potential employees, any potential volunteers.

BLOOM: They're also limiting the number of visitors patients can bring with them. All the precautions, Cohen says, have taken a toll¹⁸ on staff.

COHEN: That's hard for us as health care providers as well, right? Like, we came into this to take care of people. And just what it means to take care of someone has gotten so much broader and so much more difficult.

MICHELLE THORSEN: No shame. No condemnation¹⁹.

BLOOM: On a recent afternoon, anti-abortion activist²⁰ Michelle Thorsen stood atop a 10-foot ladder outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Denver, calling out to a patient over a fence, a tactic²¹ activists²² have been using for years.

THORSEN: You can leave any time. Don't feel like you have to stay if you're not willing to go through with it.

BLOOM: Thorsen is with Love Life, a Christian²³ group. She views this work as saving lives and not as violent or threatening.

THORSEN: Maybe there have been some groups or some individuals in the past that have kind of given us a bad rap because, you know, of their delivery or their technique. But that's not our goal at all.

BLOOM: Will Duffy, another protester here, says he thinks the pro-life movement should escalate²⁴ its activism.

WILL DUFFY: We're going to be going to the homes of abortion providers and trying to accomplish a few things.

BLOOM: He's president of Colorado Right to Life.

DUFFY: One, make sure that their neighbors know what they do for a living. Also, hopefully, get them to maybe reconsider what they do for a living.

BLOOM: He says his group never condones²⁵ violence. But they're willing to go to extremes for a cause they believe in.

DUFFY: One of our slogans is, no child-killing with tranquility. So we don't think you should just have a perfectly²⁶ fun, peaceful life if this is what you do for a living.

BLOOM: How far is he willing to go? Up to where the law allows, he says.

For NPR News, I'm Matt Bloom in Denver.

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 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。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 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？

5 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

6 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

7 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

8 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。

9 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。

10 barricaded   

设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守

参考例句：

• The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
• The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。

11 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

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 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

14 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

15 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

16 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

17 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

18 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

19 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

20 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。

21 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

22 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》

23 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。

24 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

25 condones   

v.容忍，宽恕，原谅( condone的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A morality that condones such bloodshed is totally unacceptalbe to me. 宽恕这种杀戮的道德是我完全不能接受的。 来自辞典例句
• When government condones evil, he insists, "the true place for a just man is a prison." 他坚持认为，当政府宽容罪恶时，“正直人的真正去处是监狱”。 来自哲学部分

26 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。