VOA常速英语2008年-US Supreme Court Upholds Use of Lethal Injectio

By Cindy Saine
Washington
16 April 2008

The U.S. Supreme¹ Court has upheld the most common method of lethal² injection used for executions by the federal government and 36 states.  The unsuccessful constitutional challenge to the three-drug lethal injection was brought by lawyers representing two men sentenced to die in the state of Kentucky.  VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington. 

Lawyers for the two convicted murderers at the center of the case argued that death by lethal injection amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited by the U.S. constitution.  The lawyers argued that the drugs are often administered by untrained officials who sometimes botch the executions, causing extreme pain and suffering.

But the justices, in a seven-to-two vote, rejected the challenge.  The ruling clears the way for executions to resume across the United States, after an unofficial moratorium³ took hold when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.  

Reacting swiftly to the news, Virginia's Governor Tim Kaine lifted a moratorium on executions imposed on April 1.  Other states that have the death penalty are likely to follow Virginia's lead.
  
Brian Evans of Amnesty International, an organization that staunchly opposes the death penalty, says the ruling will not stop the intense debate on the death penalty taking place across the United States.

"We don't think that there is going to be much long-term impact from this ruling," Evans said. "This ruling addresses a certain form of execution, but it does not address the real problems with the death penalty, which are bias⁴ in the system, racism⁵ in the system, and the fact that innocent people continue to end up on death row.  Just since the Supreme Court agreed to hear this case in September of last year, four more people have been exonerated⁶ from death rows in the United States."

John Holdridge of the American Civil Liberties Union says it is difficult to know how great an impact the ruling will have.  He says opponents of the death penalty, such as his organization, have made significant gains in recent years.

"The polls that supported the death penalty are at their lowest point in many years and more and more people are beginning to become very uncomfortable with the death penalty," Holdridge said. "The reasons being that,  number one, it is, you know,  fraught⁷ with error, that we keep getting it wrong."

Holdridge said the other main reason more people are turning against the death penalty is the cost factor.  He said it costs taxpayers⁸ much more to execute a prisoner than to pay for a life sentence, taking into account the lengthy⁹ appeal process.

The Supreme Court also heard arguments Wednesday in a separate death penalty case on whether someone should be executed for raping¹⁰ a child.

The case involves Patrick Kennedy, a man on death row in the state of Louisiana for raping his eight-year-old step-daughter in 1998.

Kennedy's lawyers argue execution is cruel and unusual punishment for the crime. But death penalty advocates say execution is appropriate for someone who has savagely¹¹ attacked a child and left the victim alive to deal with the trauma¹². 

1 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。

2 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

3 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

4 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

5 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

6 exonerated   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption. 警方的报告免除了对刘易斯贪污的所有指控。
• An investigation exonerated the school from any blame. 一项调查证明该学校没有任何过失。 来自辞典例句

7 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

8 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

9 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

10 raping   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的现在分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复，查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼，奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠，无所不做。 来自互联网

11 savagely   

adv. 野蛮地，残酷地

参考例句：

• The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
• He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。

12 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。