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Miscarriage case in El Salvador

 

南美洲國家薩爾瓦多一名女子因姦成孕，嬰兒流產，竟被判入獄三十年？BBC新聞以「被控以刑事罪的母親」為題，探討女性權益。Vazquez小姐出外打工當家傭，不料被僱主鄰居性侵犯，還因此懷孕。可是因為種種原因，胎兒不保，卻在留醫時被捕，控以嚴重謀殺：

 

Ms Vazquez was sentenced to 30 years in jail for aggravated homicide.

 

aggravated 使（局勢等）更嚴重，加劇, 惡化

(adjective 形容詞)

 

► aggravate (verb 動詞)

例子：The humid weather aggravated her rash.

 

homicide 謀殺

(noun 名詞)

 

薩爾瓦多以往的法例容許性侵犯受害人合法墮胎，但自1998年開始，傾向保守的政府一律嚴禁墮胎：

 

Women in El Salvador used to be allowed to have abortions in cases of rape, or if the health of the baby or the mother were at risk. But in 1998, a new law enacted under a conservative government completely outlawed it.

 

enact 實行，實施；（尤指）制定（法律）

(verb 動詞)

 

outlaw 使成為非法；禁止；取締

(verb 動詞)

 

在薩爾瓦多，墮胎最高刑罸為八年監禁；但若胎兒死亡，便會改控謀殺，可判監三十年：

 

The punishment for abortion is up to eight years in jail. But in many cases in which the foetus has died, the charge is changed to one of aggravated homicide, which carries a minimum sentence of 30 years.

 

foetus/ fetus 胎兒

(noun 名詞)

 

當事人在法庭會得到公平審訊嗎？有律師不表樂觀：

 

Lawyer Dennis Munoz says that "an air of legal uncertainty has emerged" since hospitals started reporting miscarriages and stillbirths, leading to women being presumed "guilty from the start".

 

an air of... 氣氛

例子： After the exams, there was an air of relief and exhaustion.

 

emerge 出現，浮現；露出

(verb 動詞)

 

例子： In court, some interesting information emerged about the convicted man.

 

presume 假定，推定，認定

(verb 動詞)

 

例子： The refugees were presumed dead after the boat overturned.

 

當地主教也有話說：

 

San Salvador's Bishop says, "Every human life is sacred. To get rid of that is committing murder. If there are two lives in danger, you have to save the one that's most fragile and that's the child," he said.

 

fragile 易損壞的；易碎的；脆弱的

(adjective 形容詞)

 

例子： Many Asian females are depicted as fragile in western movies.

 

報道以「正義的流產」作結：

 

But for many, that denies the rights of Salvadorean women who, after suffering the tragedy of miscarrying a baby, risk facing decades in prison for another miscarriage - a miscarriage of justice.

 

Crystal’s Slang Time

 

弊傢伙，搞大咗？！懷孕了，英文口語怎麼說？

 

  • bun in the oven　 有個包喺焗爐，意思是宣佈有孕，例子：I have a bun in the oven!
  • be knocked up　  被動式，指被人「搞大咗個肚」，例子：She’s knocked up.
  • late　　　　　　   較隱諱，指「（月事）遲了」，例子：I’m late.
  • preggers　　　　 名詞，同樣解「搞大個肚」，例子：He got her preggers.

   
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