Advocates and lawmakers prepare for an end to legal abortion in much of the nation

Advocates and lawmakers prepare for an end to legal abortion¹ in much of the nation

Transcript²

If the leaked Supreme³ Court draft opinion on abortion remains⁴ unchanged, what are the nationwide implications? We hear how things might change in Mississippi and California.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

A leaked draft decision from the Supreme Court suggests Roe⁵ vs. Wade⁶ will be overturned. While waiting for the court to officially release its decision, advocates and lawmakers are preparing for an end to legal abortion in much of the nation. Abortions⁷ would likely be significantly harder to get in states like Mississippi. Meanwhile, states like California are working to become national havens⁸ for abortion rights. To talk about the implications, we're joined by reporters Brittany Brown in Jackson, Miss., with the Gulf⁹ States Newsroom, and Danielle Venton from KQED in San Francisco. Welcome to you both.

BRITTANY BROWN, BYLINE¹⁰: Thank you.

DANIELLE VENTON, BYLINE: Hello.

FADEL: So, Brittany, let's start with you. You were at the clinic at the center of this case yesterday - Mississippi's only abortion clinic. What did you see and hear there?

BROWN: It was unusually quiet at the Jackson Women's Health Organization yesterday. The clinic, which is also known as the Pink House, normally sees abortion rights opponents and protesters outside. But yesterday it was quiet. There were mostly journalists, alongside three or four clinic escorts, known as the Pink House Defenders¹². And they're a group of volunteers who help patients seeking abortions enter and exit the clinic safely and discreetly¹³.

Derenda Hancock has been a Pink House Defender¹¹ for nine years now and says abortion rights advocates have been bracing¹⁴ themselves for more restrictions¹⁵. The Supreme Court leak itself was a surprise, but the draft decision was not. She says it left her numb¹⁶.

DERENDA HANCOCK: Feelings - don't have any. Like I said, even when you're prepared for this, when you hear it, it's just pretty much gut-wrenching.

FADEL: What about people who oppose abortion rights in Mississippi? What did you hear from them?

BROWN: There were only two abortion rights opponents outside the Pink House yesterday, which is unusual because there's normally a larger crowd out. And I spoke¹⁷ to Omarr Peters with Students for Life of America. He's a coordinator¹⁸ with high school and college students across Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. And he says he is cautiously optimistic about the future of abortion.

OMARR PETERS: I am a pro-life male. I'm an African American. And I just want to see us do better as a community when it comes to life.

FADEL: And what about lawmakers in Mississippi? This is a conservative state. What are they saying about this likely decision?

BROWN: Yeah. So Mississippi is a Republican stronghold state. And most of our leaders, like Governor Tate Reeves, the lieutenant¹⁹ governor and speaker of the House, have all said the same thing. They're not pleased with the Supreme Court leak, but they agree with the impending²⁰ decision. They've maintained their anti-abortion stance. And Mississippi and Louisiana are a few of many Southern states with so-called trigger laws in place, meaning if Roe vs. Wade is overturned, abortions will automatically be banned in almost all cases.

FADEL: OK. So let's bring in Danielle Venton. Danielle, you're in California. When this leaked decision came out, how did people react there?

VENTON: There was a lot of anger, some disbelief, even if this was, to some extent, expected. Of course, plenty of people in California oppose abortion. But last night, among the more than a thousand people gathered at a rally in San Francisco, it was the voices of those supporting abortion rights that were the strongest.

MICHELLE WHITNEY: I'm so proud to be in California at this time and just so lucky.

TONY ASARO: The attack against women is so blatant²¹ and disgusting.

CAROLINE HANNAN: It's not enough to just rest on that comfort and to allow people to be slammed back to the Dark Ages.

VENTON: And that was Michelle Whitney (ph), Tony Asaro and Caroline Hannan (ph), all San Francisco residents.

FADEL: Now, that was what regular people were saying. What have state officials said and done since the leak?

VENTON: Well, California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday night said in a statement, California will not sit back, and that the state was going to fight like hell. So Newsom and leaders in the state legislature are proposing an amendment²² to the state constitution that would ensure the right to an abortion and make California what some lawmakers call a reproductive freedom state. That amendment would go before both the legislature and the public for a vote.

FADEL: A reproductive freedom state - so what does that actually mean?

VENTON: Well, that includes things like legal protections for patients and clinicians, a right to access, a right to choose a provider, to privacy and confidentiality²³. Lawmakers and, in particular, the Legislative²⁴ Women's Caucus²⁵ are advancing 13 different bills. These bills do things like drop copays for abortions and direct more funds to support clinics.

Here's one of the caucus leaders, State Senator Nancy Skinner.

NANCY SKINNER: We will also welcome those from other states. We have let them know they will be safe here. They will be protected. And we'll do everything we can to allow them to exercise their reproductive freedom.

FADEL: OK. So that's at the state level. Are you seeing action at the local level, too?

VENTON: Yeah. I listened in on a board of supervisors²⁷ meeting for Santa Clara County yesterday, where they voted unanimously to approve a $3 million grant for a local Planned Parenthood clinic. This is what Supervisor²⁶ Cindy Chavez said just before calling for the vote.

CINDY CHAVEZ: These are really dark times and will be very dark times, especially for poor women in this country. Our action will lighten those times just a little bit and hopefully turn the tide back again.

VENTON: And that money will go towards medical treatment, counseling, lab testing and staff training.

FADEL: Now, I want to turn back to Brittany for a moment. What are abortion rights advocates doing in the meantime in Mississippi while abortions are still legal?

BROWN: They're still providing abortions at the Pink House right now because, so far, the law hasn't changed in Mississippi. Now organizations that fund abortions and help pregnant people cross state lines to access abortions, like the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund and Access Reproductive Care Southeast - are raising money and seeking volunteers to help people travel to reproductive freedom states, like California, Colorado and others, for access to abortions.

In fact, Diane Derzis, the CEO of the Pink House, says they're planning to open other Pink Houses in New Mexico next month that would see Mississippi patients.

FADEL: OK. That's Brittany Brown in Jackson, Miss., with the Gulf States Newsroom. And we also heard from Danielle Venton with member station KQED in San Francisco. Thank you to you both.

BROWN: You're welcome.

VENTON: You're welcome.

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 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。

4 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。

5 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？

6 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• 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。

7 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

8 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 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。

11 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

12 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 discreetly   

ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地

参考例句：

• He had only known the perennial widow, the discreetly expensive Frenchwoman. 他只知道她是个永远那么年轻的寡妇，一个很会讲排场的法国女人。
• Sensing that Lilian wanted to be alone with Celia, Andrew discreetly disappeared. 安德鲁觉得莉莲想同西莉亚单独谈些什么，有意避开了。

14 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

15 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

16 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

17 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。

18 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

19 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

20 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

21 blatant   

adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的

参考例句：

• I cannot believe that so blatant a comedy can hoodwink anybody.我无法相信这么显眼的一出喜剧能够欺骗谁。
• His treatment of his secretary was a blatant example of managerial arrogance.他管理的傲慢作风在他对待秘书的态度上表露无遗。

22 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

23 confidentiality   

n.秘而不宣，保密

参考例句：

• They signed a confidentiality agreement. 他们签署了一份保守机密的协议。
• Cryptography is the foundation of supporting authentication, integrality and confidentiality. 而密码学是支持认证、完整性和机密性机制的基础。

24 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

25 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

26 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

27 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句