美参院否决避孕法修正案一托福阅读机经背景.docxVIP

智课网TOEFL备考资料 美参院否决避孕法修正案一托福阅读机经背景   The U.S. Senate has narrowly defeated a Republican measure that would have reversed a new Obama administration mandate that employers provide free birth control as part of health insurance coverage. It was an emotional debate on Capitol Hill.  美国参议院以微弱多数否决了共和党提出的有关医保法中避孕问题的修正案。奥巴马总统新签署的一项行政命令规定，雇主给雇员提供的医保计划必须包括雇主承担避孕服务的费用。  The Senate vote Thursday was a very close 51-48. One Republican voted with most Democrats to kill the amendment, and three Democrats voted with most Republicans against killing the measure, proposed by Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri.  美国参议院星期四以51对48票的投票结果否决了这项修正案。一名共和党议员和大多数民主党议员反对这项修正案，三名民主党议员和大多数共和党议员支持该修正案。这一修正案是由密苏里州联邦参议员罗伊·布伦特提出的。  Most Republicans lawmakers and the four Republican presidential candidates say President Barack Obama’s health care law violates religious liberties because it would require employers to cover the cost of contraception as part of their health care insurance plans.  大多数共和党议员和四位共和党总统参选人说，奥巴马总统的医疗保险改革法违反了宗教自由，因为这部法律要求雇主在给雇员的医保计划中承担避孕服务的费用。  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he did not expect to have to defend religious freedom on the floor of the U.S. Senate.  参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔说，他没有料到不得不在参议院捍卫宗教自由。  “Recent actions by the Obama administration related to the president’s health care law have prompted many of us here and many across the country to stand up in defense of another freedom that is covered in the First Amendment, and that is religious freedom, said McConnell.  他说：“奥巴马政府最近采取的与医保改革法相关的行动，使得我们这里以及全国各地的很多人站出来捍卫美国宪法第一修正案赋予的另一项自由权利，那就是宗教自由。”  The president’s birth control coverage mandate originally exempted churches, but not religious institutions such as colleges and hospitals, from providing birth control to employees. Facing outrage from some religious organizations, the president quickly offered an accommodation that also would exempt religious institutions. But mo