Unit2 Lesson 7 The future of abortion 美英报刊选读

Lesson 7 The Future of Abortion

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Structure Analysis

Lesson 7

1. The Supreme Court 最高法院The judicial branch of the federal government is headed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which interprets the meaning of the Constitution and of federal laws. 联邦政府的最高级司法机构 是最高法院，拥有对宪法和联邦政府的解释权。

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It consists of nine justices (including the chief justice) appointed for life by the president with the consent of the Senate. 经参议院的批准，由总统任命九个法官(终身制),包括大 法官 It has the authority to act in cases arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States; in controversies to which the United States is a party; in controversies between states or between citizens of different states; in cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; and in cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls. 最高法院有权判决美国宪法，法律，条约等管辖下的案子。

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2. Roe vs. Wade CaseIn 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe Vs. Wade that unduly过度地 restrictive state regulation of abortion was unconstitutional, in effect legalizing abortion on demand for women in the first three months of pregnancy. A countermovement for the restoration of strict control over the circumstances under which abortions might be permitted soon sprang up, and the issue became entangled in social and political conflict. 1973年的 Roe Vs. Wade 案件，最高法院裁定对堕胎过于严格 的州法律是违反宪法的，并裁定妊娠前三个月的堕胎是合法的。 一场反对严格控制堕胎的运动随之迅速发展，堕胎议题卷入社 会和政治冲突。Lesson 7

3.Abortion in the United States It is a highly-charged issue involving significant political and ethical debate. 在美国，堕胎是一个能引起激烈反响的政治和道德的议题。 Abortion refers to any pregnancy that does not end in a live birth and therefore can refer to a miscarriage or a premature birth that does not result in a live infant. Such events are often called spontaneous abortions if they occur before 20 weeks of gestation孕期. In common parlance, however, abortion is used to mean “induced abortion” of an embryo胚胎 or fetus胎儿 at any point in pregnancy, and this is also how the term is used in a legal sense.Lesson 7

Number of abortions in United States: According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were 854,122 legal induced abortions in the US in 2003.There are lots of reasons for pregnant women to choose an abortion, for example, some want to postpone childbearing , others have relationship problems or the partner does not want pregnancy, ect. Various reasons contributing to their having a late abortion are reported, that is , some didn’t recognize they were pregnant or misjudged gestation, som

e found it hard to make arrangements for abortion, others were afraid to tell their partners or parents, etc.Lesson 7

Roe v Wade [1973] 罗伊诉韦德 Fact:Roe, a Texas resident, sought to terminate her pregnancy by abortion. Texas law prohibited abortions except to save the pregnant woman's life. Conclusion

三、美国：

dissent

dissent

判决理由 法律应该保护正在承受肉体和精神折磨而又不愿意生育的妇女， 而不是法律地位不清的胎儿。"从一切情形看，联邦宪法所指的 '人'都是特指出生后的人" 自由堕胎权是个人隐私权的重要组成部分 应该对于妊娠期的不同阶段区别对待。最初三个月，胎儿没有 成形，堕胎一般不会对于妇女造成危害，可以允许妇女有充分 的选择自由；中间三个月期间可以加以一些管理，但仅限于规 范堕胎程序安全，以切实保护孕妇身体安全健康，堕胎的决定 应由孕妇与医生协商做出；最后三个月，胎儿基本发育成熟， 堕胎对于孕妇风险很大，州政府的禁止堕胎"有逻辑学和生物学 上的合理性"

影响美国政府最终颁布了著名的罗伊.威德法案， 该法案颁布于1973年——内容为美国联邦法院赋 予妇女堕胎权。 在美国200多年历史中，从来没有一个判例 象联邦最高法院1973年的Roe v. Wade案那样， 在整个社会引起如此广泛和持久对立。 现在美国：各州对堕胎的法律规定不同

1. For another, the court clearly invited state legislatures to experiment with new laws designed to limit access to abortion — an attempt to force abortion policy out of the courts and into the political arena (Line 6-7, Para. 2) —另外，最高法院明显怂恿州立法机构尝试 旨在限制堕胎的新法律 —— 这是一种迫使堕胎政策 从法院领域走向政治领域的尝试 (access to abortion: allow to abortion ) 2. The post-Roe era may live up to these nightmare predictions, or it may not (Line 1, Para. 3) —所预测 的这些可怕情况在罗案后时代或许会出现，或许不 会出现 (live up to: to do as what is expected )Lesson 7

3. And in words that chilled abortion advocates everywhere, he added, “we do not see why … but prohibiting it before viability…” (Line 7-11, Para. 4) —他在讲那些让各地拥护堕胎者感到无比失望的 话时补充说道，“我们不明白为什麽只是在胎儿具 有可存活性时，国家才对保护胎儿生命表现关心， 因而要划一条僵硬的界线允许对有存活性胎儿堕胎 加以限制，而对未达到存活性阶段胎儿的堕胎则禁 止限制。” (why the state’s …和 that there should …是并列宾语从句，作see的宾语 ) 4. The result … foe of abortion (Line5-7, Para. 5) —结 果是按宪法精神新的裁决措辞谨慎、模糊不清。这 结果导致极力反对堕胎的安东尼奥· 斯卡利

亚法官的 激烈批评 (muddle: a state of confusion and disorder )Lesson 7

5. The Webster case "preserves a chaos that is evident to anyone who can read and count," Scalia wrote. "We can now look forward to at least another term with carts full of mail…and streets full of demonstrators urging us… to follow the popular will…" (Line 7-10, Para. 5) —“韦伯斯特案将造成思想上的混乱，对这 一点任何有点知识的人都可以看得出来。”Scalia写 道，“等着瞧，至少下一阶段将会有成堆的来信和 满街的示威者要求我们按照民意行事。” ( carts full of mail: a lot of mail expressing different opinions on the case )

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6. In dismissing the trimester system and the concept of fetal viability, Rehnquist left a vacuum that will be very hard to fill (Line 2-3, Para. 7) —由于摒弃了原先 妊娠划为三个阶段的方法和胎儿可生存性的观念， 伦 奎 斯 特所 写 的 裁决 留 下 了一 个 无 法填 补 的 真空 (trimester: the usual American word for a TERM at a school or college [美式] 三个月的一个学期 )

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Lesson 7

Pro-life 要生命权 反对堕胎 Pro-choice 选择权 支持堕胎(妇女对自己的 身体有选择权)

1. What the Missouri law sharply restricted was ____.

A. abortion services of all kinds B. women’s right to abortion C. Publicly funded abortion services D. women’s right to work

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2. Elected officials feel worried about the Missouri case verdict because ____.

A. it is harmful to public interests B. Women’s rights to abortion will be limited C. it will cause disunity D. It will cause the loss of votes of a constituency pided on the abortion issue

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