VOA慢速英语:Abortion Debate Takes Center Stage in US Election Campaign

The Republican Party’s national convention opens Monday in Tampa, Florida. Republican delegates will officially nominate former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as the party’s candidate for president. Democratic Party delegates will gather in Charlotte, North Carolina the following week to nominate President Barack Obama for a second term.
共和党全国会议周一在佛罗里达坦帕市举行，共和党代表将正式提名马萨诸塞州前州长米特•罗姆尼为该党的总统候选人。民主党代表下周将在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特举行会议，提名总统巴拉克•奥巴马进行下一个任期的竞选。

This week, a Republican lawmaker’s comments pushed the debate about abortion to the center of the election campaign. Missouri Congressman Todd Akin is a candidate for the United States Senate. A reporter asked him to explain his opposition to the operation, even in cases of rape. Mr. Akin said it was his understanding from doctors that rape victims rarely get pregnant. He said that, in the case of what he called “legitimate rape,” the female body has ways to stop a pregnancy. And he said the rapist should be punished, not the child resulting from the attack.
本周，一名共和党的言论将堕胎争论推到竞选活动的中心。密苏里州众议员Todd Akin是美国参议院候选人，一名记者请他解释他对堕胎，甚至是强奸案中堕胎的反对立场。Akin说，他从医生那里了解到，强奸受害者很少怀孕。他说，在所谓的“正常强奸”的情况下，女性身体有办法阻止怀孕。同时他还说，应该受惩罚的是强奸犯，而不是强奸产生的婴儿。

His comments were widely criticized by both Democrats and Republicans. Many described them as “insensitive.” President Obama and Mr. Romney were quick to condemn the statements.
他的言论受到民主党和共和党双方的广泛批评，许多人称他“麻木不仁”。总统奥巴马和罗姆尼很快就对这番言论表示批评。

OBAMA: “The views expressed were offensive. Rape is rape.”
奥巴马：“这些观点很无礼，强奸就是强奸。”

ROMNEY: “His comments about rape were deeply offensive. And I can’t defend what he said. I can’t defend him.”
罗姆尼：“他对强奸的言论很无礼，我不能为他的言论辩护，不能为他辩护。”

Congressman Akin has apologized. He even approved a political advertisement asking for forgiveness.
议员Akin已经道歉，他甚至批准了一个政治广告来请求原谅。

AKIN: “Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way, and for that I apologize.”
AKIN: “强奸是罪行，我用错误的方式使用错误的词语，我为此道歉。”

But some people say the apology is unlikely to stop calls from Republican leaders for him to leave the Senate race. Political observer Rhodes Cook says the issue shows the problem Republican candidates have with women voters.
也有人说，道歉不可能阻止共和党领导人不再呼吁他离开参议院竞选。政治观察员Rhodes Cook说，这个问题显示共和党候选人与女性选民之间的问题。

COOK: “They saw this being a terrible comment, one that made them by extension appear to be insensitive to women and their plight, particularly as victims of a horrendous crime like rape.”
Cook：“他们称这是可怕的言论，推广这种言论让人们认为他们似乎对女性及其困境，特别是对强奸这类可怕罪行的受害人麻木不仁。”

Rhodes Cook and other observers say the comments could provide more fuel for Democratic claims that Republicans are leading a “war on women.” Republicans have faced criticism from women’s groups for opposing abortion and rules that health care insurance pay for birth control.
Rhodes Cook和其他观察员说，这些言论能为民主党所称的共和党正在领导一场“针对女性的战争”的言论提供火力。共和党因反对堕胎和医疗保险为节育提供报销的规定而遭到女性组织的批评。

On Tuesday, Republican delegates agreed to support a call for a constitutional ban on abortion as part of their party’s platform. The statement makes no exceptions for rape or the sexual attack of a child or young person by a family member. The Democratic Party platform supports a woman’s right to choose.
周二，共和党代表同意支持修宪禁止堕胎作为其党纲的一部分的言论。该声明将强奸、对儿童或青年受家庭成员的性侵也包括在内。民主党纲领支持女性的堕胎选择权。

Larry Sabato is head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He says social issues like abortion usually have a big influence on voter support.
Larry Sabato是弗吉尼亚大学政治中心的负责人，他说诸如堕胎这样的社会问题通常对选民支持有着巨大的影响力。

SABATO: “People have very strong feelings on both sides, and it’s a single issue for a lot of people. Once they know your position on it, pro or con, pro-choice or pro-life, they decide how they’re going to vote, They actually ignore economic issues and issues of foreign policy and a whole wide range of other subjects.”
Sabato：“人们对这两方面的意见反应都很强烈，对很多人来说这是个单一问题。一旦他们知道你在这问题上的立场，支持还是反对，提倡堕胎还是反对堕胎，他们决定如何投票。他们事实上忽略了经济问题、外交政策问题和其他问题。”

Both he and Rhodes Cook say it is unclear whether the comments will have an effect on the elections in November. But they say the comments are likely to live on in Democratic political ads. And they say that if Mr. Akin continues to ignore calls to end his candidacy, the effects could be major.
他和Rhodes Cook都表示，尚不清楚这些谈论是否会影响11月的选举。但他们说，这些言论可能会出现在民主党的政治广告中。而且，如果Akin继续无视终止他候选人资格的呼吁，其影响可能是重大的。