2006年VOA标准英语-US Supreme Court to Revisit Abortion Issue
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：2006年VOA标准英语（二月）
By Jim Malone
WAshington
22 February 2006
The U.S. Supreme 1 Court will revisit the politically divisive issue of abortion 2 later this year. The abortion case in question will be a major test for a court that now includes two appointees of President Bush, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.
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US Supreme Court, depicted 3 in artist's rendering 4 in Washington, February 21, 2006
The Supreme Court has agreed to review a law passed by Congress in 2003 that prohibits a procedure that opponents refer to as partial birth abortion.
It is a procedure in which the fetus 5 is partially 6 removed from the womb and its skull 7 collapsed 8.
The federal law in question allows the procedure if a mother's life is at risk. But the law does not allow an exception to preserve a woman's health. Abortion opponents see that as a loophole that would allow women to demand an abortion for a variety of reasons.
Oral arguments before the court will be held in October at the earliest. But abortion opponents are already expecting a ruling in their favor because of the two new members on the high court appointed by President Bush, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito.
Longtime anti-abortion activist 9 Randall Terry says a court decision to uphold the ban on partial birth abortions 10 could begin the process of reversing the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion known as Roe 11 v. Wade 12.
"I am confident that we will win this time around," he said. "I am also confident that this is part of chipping away at Roe versus 13 Wade."
Abortion rights groups argue that upholding the ban on partial birth abortions without an exception for the health of the mother could be used to prohibit a number of abortion procedures and amounts to an erosion of a woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion or not.
"It has been a very long commitment of the court to the constitutional proposition that women cannot have their health put at risk when having an abortion," said Nancy Northup, who heads an abortion rights group called the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Legal analysts 14 say the partial birth abortion ban is the most significant abortion case before the Supreme Court in years. They also say the eventual 15 ruling on the case will say a lot about the new direction on the high court, given the Roberts and Alito appointments.
"Well, the United States Supreme Court has become increasingly important over the years," said Jonathan Turley, a legal scholar at George Washington University. "There are a host of doctrines 16 that currently are held by a single vote. It is up to the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, but also to interpret federal statutes 17."
The last time the high court dealt with this issue was in 2000 when the court decided 18 by a vote of five to four that a partial birth abortion ban must include a health exception for the mother.
Samuel Alito (File photo)
The deciding vote was cast by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who has now retired 19 and been replaced by Justice Alito.
Public opinion analysts note that abortion remains 20 one of the most divisive cultural and political issues in the United States.
"Abortion is probably the largest battle in the nation's culture war. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 62 percent of Americans felt that Supreme Court decisions on abortion are important to them personally," added David Masci of the Pew Forum 21 on Religion and Public Life, a non-partisan research organization in Washington.
A poll last year by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut found that three-quarters of those surveyed supported a ban on partial birth abortions except when the life of the mother was at stake.
A Supreme Court ruling is expected either late this year or early in 2007. In the meantime, the law in question has been blocked from taking effect by lower federal courts.
- 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。
- 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。
- Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
- They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。
- She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
- His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。
- In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
- No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。
- The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
- The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。
- The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
- He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。
- Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
- The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
- 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。
- 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
- 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？
- 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。
- The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
- The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。
- City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
- I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
- Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
- Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。
- To modern eyes, such doctrines appear harsh, even cruel. 从现代的角度看，这样的教义显得苛刻，甚至残酷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
- The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
- Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
- 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。