(单词翻译:单击)
中英文本
Ireland Weighs Repealing Abortion Ban in a Landmark Referendum
一次划时代的全民公投 爱尔兰考虑废除堕胎禁令
ONMAY 25, THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND will vote in a landmark referendum
5月25日,爱尔兰共和国将就有力废除了堕胎的爱尔兰宪法第八修正案
on the eighth amendment of the country’s constitution, which effectively outlaws abortion.
举行一次具有里程碑意义的全民公投 。
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, 39, announced the referendum three months after becoming the country’s youngest leader in history.
39岁的总理利奥·瓦拉德卡尔,在当选该国历史上最年轻的领导人的三个月后宣布了公投的消息 。
While Ireland has taken some socially progressive steps in recent years,
虽然近年来爱尔兰已经采取了一些社会进步举措,
including legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015,
包括2015年批准了同性婚姻的合法地位,
the abortion issue remains divisive in the predominantly Catholic country.
然而,在这个天主教主导的国家里,国民对堕胎问题的看法仍然存在分歧 。
(First of all,)RESTRICTIVE REPUBLIC
(一、)限制堕胎的共和国
Ireland’s abortion laws are among the world’s most restrictive.
爱尔兰的堕胎法堪称世界上最严苛的堕胎法之一 。
The eighth amendment, passed in 1983, gives an unborn fetus a right to life equal to that of its pregnant mother.
1983年通过的第八修正案赋予了未出生的胎儿与怀孕母亲同等的生命权 。
Women can face a 14-year prison sentence for having an abortion, even in cases of rape or nonviable pregnancies.
堕胎的女性可能面临长达14年的监禁,哪怕是在被强奸和胎儿畸形的情况下 。
From 2010 to 2015, 25,000 Irish women traveled to England and Wales to terminate pregnancies.
从2010年到2015年间,共有2.5万名爱尔兰妇女前往英格兰和威尔士终止妊娠 。
(And then,there is)INCREMENTAL CHANGE
(二、)渐进的变革
A campaign to liberalize abortion laws gathered momentum in 2012,
2012年,在戈尔韦一家医院流产的过程,
when 31-year-old dentist Savita Halappanavar died in a Galway hospital after being refused an abortion during a miscarriage.
31岁的牙医萨维塔·哈拉帕纳瓦尔中因为堕胎的要求被拒绝而离开了人世,一场旨在放宽堕胎法的运动逐渐抬头 。
In 2013, abortion became possible in cases where the mother’s life is in immediate danger.
2013年,产妇生命岌岌可危的一些案例中,堕胎逐渐成为了可能 。
Varadkar’s government favors further liberalizing the law,
瓦拉德卡尔的政府倾向于进一步放宽法律,
and if the repeal passes, his government hopes to pass legislation legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
如果废除该法案的提案获得通过,他的政府希望能够通过立法,使怀孕头12周内的堕胎行为合法化 。
Some abortion-rights activists believe the law should go further, which Varadkar has said is unlikely.
一些争取堕胎权利的活动人士认为,应该将堕胎的期限再放宽一点,但瓦拉德卡尔表示那不太可能 。
(And then,)CONTENTIOUS ISSUE
(三、)争议的问题
Ireland only fully legalized divorce and contraception as recently as the 1990s,
直到20世纪90年代,爱尔兰才将离婚和避孕完全合法化,
and the vote in May is set to be close.
而5月份的投票结果也已经接近尾声了 。
Rallies to repeal the ban have been held in cities across Europe,
欧洲各地城市都举行了集会,要求废除该禁令,
while a “Save the Eighth” demonstration in Dublin attracted tens of thousands of people in March.
三月在都柏林举行的“拯救第八修正案”游行也吸引了成千上万人的目光 。
A recent poll found that 47% of voters are in favor of repealing the ban,
最近的一项民意调查显示,47%的选民支持废除该禁令,
while 28% would leave it in place; others are undecided or abstaining.
28%的人支持保留这一禁令;剩下的人要么犹豫不决,要么放弃了投票 。
Whatever the result, it is unlikely to signal the end of the debate—for either side.
结果无论如何,都不太可能标志着这一辩论将就此结束——而且,对任何一方来说都是如此 。
译文由可可原创,仅供学习交流使用,未经许可请勿转载 。
重点讲解
1. a right to life 生命权
Today in this country it's almost universally accepted that disabled people have a right to life once they've been born.
残疾人一旦出生,他们就有权享有生命权,在当今社会,这几乎是被普遍公认的事实 。
2. gather momentum 愈演愈烈
As these investigations gather momentum, investment firms as well as industrial companies are becoming more careful.
随着这类调查愈演愈烈,不但产业公司,就连投资公司也变得越来越谨慎 。
3. in immediate danger 危在旦夕
And don't hesitate to dial 911 if you think you or another family member is in immediate danger.
如果家中有人生命垂危,请勿迟疑,立即拨打911 。
4. be set to close 完成;结束;关闭
The deal is set to close by the end of September.
此笔交易预计将在9月底之前达成 。