美国国家公共电台 NPR Clinics That Provide Abortions Anxious After An Uptick In Threats Of Violence

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We'd like to get an update now on a story from some years ago, a story that has abortion¹ providers around the country on edge. A woman convicted decades ago of attempting to murder a doctor who performed abortions² was released from federal custody³ this week. In 1993, Rachelle Shannon shot and wounded Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kan. Tiller recovered from that attack but was murdered years later by another anti-abortion extremist. Now, clinics around the country are stepping up security. NPR's Sarah McCammon has the story.

SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE⁴: Julie Burkhart worked with Dr. George Tiller at his clinic in Wichita, Kan., for several years before his death in 2009. She'd sometimes go into his office for meetings.

JULIE BURKHART: And right there laying on his couch would be his bullet-proof vest. That was a constant reminder⁵.

MCCAMMON: Burkhardt now runs a group called Trust Women, which operates three clinics that provide abortion, including one in Wichita. Tiller performed abortions later in pregnancy⁶, often for women facing serious health conditions or fetal abnormalities. He became a literal target for anti-abortion extremists like Rachelle Shannon. She's been associated with a group called Army of God whose website describes those who kill abortion providers as heroes. Burkhart says Tiller often thought about that attempt and others.

BURKHART: There was always this sense in the back of your head that, you know, who could be the next, you know, gunman or gunwoman out there?

MCCAMMON: Burkhardt calls Shannon's release from a halfway⁷ house a few days ago unsettling for clinic workers around the country. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale is with the National Abortion Federation⁸ which represents abortion providers.

KATHERINE HANCOCK RAGSDALE: We're all very concerned about her, really. She has an long and extensive history of committing and inciting⁹ violence successfully. And her release has all of us on edge.

MCCAMMON: We are not going to put the voices of people who advocate violence against abortion providers on NPR. But I did speak this week with one of the leaders of Army of God, Don Spitz of Virginia. He says he spoke¹⁰ with Shannon recently, though he's no longer allowed to talk to her as a condition of her release. Spitz says he still believes killing¹¹ abortion providers can be morally justified¹². As far as he knows. Shannon has no plans to try again, he says, though they didn't discuss that specifically.

Most major anti-abortion rights groups denounced such acts. Carol Tobias is president of the National Right to Life committee.

CAROL TOBIAS: The pro-life movement does not advocate violence, even against those who would kill unborn children. I don't believe our rhetoric¹³ has contributed to that. And we would certainly condemn¹⁴ anyone who does take the life of an abortion worker.

MCCAMMON: The threat to abortion providers isn't just about Rachelle Shannon or any other single individual, says Latherine Hancock Ragsdale of the National Abortion Federation. She says trespassing¹⁵ incidents at clinics tripled in 2017 from the year before, and threats of violence nearly doubled.

RAGDSALE: Our rhetoric around all issues of disagreement has been inflamed¹⁶ and enhanced. And anti-abortion extremists are seizing this moment to take advantage of that volatile¹⁷ climate and piling on.

MCCAMMON: She points to the divisive political climate under President Trump¹⁸, though Trump has never called for violence against abortion providers. Former U.S. attorney Steve Pifer says he continues to be concerned about the prospect¹⁹ of violence from extremists like Rachelle Shannon. He prosecuted²⁰ her case in the 1990s and has continued to follow it.

STEVEN PIFER: She has counciled people to commit similar acts, even more violent acts and she did. And there's been nothing to indicate that she's changed her mind in that regard.

MCCAMMON: At a moment when political tensions are high, clinics around the country say they're evaluating their security measures in talking with staff about the risk from people like Shannon and anyone else she might inspire. Sarah McCammon, NPR News.

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 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

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

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 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

6 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。

7 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

8 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。

9 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

10 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。

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

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 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

15 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

16 inflamed   

adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His comments have inflamed teachers all over the country. 他的评论激怒了全国教师。
• Her joints are severely inflamed. 她的关节严重发炎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

19 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。

20 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。