Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - wrap my head around｜又中又英

In my previous column I explained what a hot-button issue means. A hot-button issue is an issue that makes people have strong emotions and opinions. A woman's right to an abortion has suddenly become a hot-button issue after the US Supreme Court ruled last week women have no constitutional right to an abortion. The court's decision has further divided a polarized America along political lines. The word “polarized”, which comes from the word Pole, is used to describe two groups with opposing views. These groups are so divided, or polarized, it seems they are from the opposite ends of the Earth, the North and South Poles.

The US Supreme Court is America's highest court, similar to Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal. It has nine justices（judges）who are chosen by the president but must be confirmed by the US Senate. They are appointed for life. A vacancy occurs only when a judge dies or chooses to retire. If a vacancy occurs when the president is a Republican, the president will always choose a conservative judge. A Democrat president will always choose a liberal judge. In 1973, when the US was less polarized, the Supreme Court decided 7-2, including justices chosen by Republican presidents, that women had a right to abortion. But that ended last week when the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that women have no constitutional right to abortion.

Today's US Supreme Court is very different from 1973. Former US President Donald Trump was able to choose three very conservative justices after three justices either died or retired. A Supreme Court of six conservatives and three liberals polarized the court. I need to wrap my head around the 6-3 decision. To“wrap your head around”something means to understand it. I cannot wrap my head around why the US Supreme Court ruled last week Americans have a constitutional right to carry guns outside the home, which can kill people, but ruled last week women have no constitutional right to abortions because they kill unborn children.
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在上一篇文章中我解释过，a hot-button issue是甚么意思。A hot-button issue就是令人有强烈感受和意见的话题。上星期，当美国最高法院裁定，女性并无堕胎合宪权之后，女性堕胎权便突然变成了敏感热话（hot-button）。高院的决定，令本就polarized的美国在政治路线上进一步分裂。Polarized来自Pole一字，是用来形容意见两极的两个阵营。这两边阵营存极大分歧，分裂（polarized）得像是从地球两端：南极和北极（North and South Poles）而来的。

美国Supreme Court，就是美国的最高法院，类近香港的终审法院。它有九名大法官（justices），由总统提名，但必须经过美国参议院表决同意而任命。

他们的任命是终身制的，只有当一名大法官逝世，又或选择退休的时候，才会出现空缺。若空缺出现于总统为共和党人的时候，那总统总会选一个立场保守的大法官；相反，一个民主党的总统亦必然会选一个自由派的大法官。

一九七三年，美国还不是那么两极分化（polarized）时，最高法院以七比二裁定女性有权堕胎，而作出这项裁决亦包括了由共和党总统选出的大法官（justices）。

然而，这在上周终止了，因最高法院以六比三裁定女性堕胎并非宪法赋予的权利。

今天的美国最高法院，跟一九七三年的最高法院存在很大分别。

前美国总统唐纳德‧特朗普得以在三名大法官（justices）相继离世或退休后，挑选三名立场极为保守的大法官（justices）。六名保守派大法官与三名自由派大法官所组成的最高法院，令其两极分化（polarized）。我需要wrap my head around 这个六比三的裁决——to “wrap your head around” something是指去理解、明白某事。

我并不能理解（wrap my head around），为何美国最高法院上周会裁定美国人有宪法权利可以持枪离家，而这是能杀人的，但上星期却又以女性杀掉未出生的孩子为由，裁定女性没有堕胎合宪权。中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁