2013年自考英语(二)课文译文:安乐死,赞成还是反对

　　安乐死：赞成还是反对

　　"We mustn't delay any longer ... swallowing is difficult ... and breathing, that's also difficult. Those muscles are weakening too ... we mustn't delay any longer.”

　　“我们千万别再拖下去了„，我吞咽困难，呼吸困难„，那些部位的肌肉一点劲也没有了 „，千万别再拖了。”

　　These were the words of Dutchman Cees van Wendel de Joode asking his doctor to help him die. Affected with a serious disease, van Wendel was no longer able to speak clearly and he knew there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.

　　这是一名叫齐思?范?万德尔?尤德的荷兰人在恳求他的医生帮助他死时说的话。范?万德尔因身患重病，言语含混不清，他自己也知道根本没有康复的希望，因为他的病情在迅速恶化。

　　Van Wendel's last three months of life before being given a final, lethal injection by his doctor were filmed and first shown on television last year in the Netherlands. The programme has since been bought by 20 countries and each time it is shown, it starts a nationwide debate on the subject.

　　在让医生给自己注射最后一针也是致死一针之前，范?万德尔生命的最后三个月被拍成了电影，去年在荷兰电视上首次播出。在这之后20个国家先后购买了这套电视节目，每次播放，都引发了全民对安乐死问题的大讨论。

　　The Netherlands is the only country in Europe which permits euthanasia, although it is not technically legal there. However, doctors who carry out euthanasia under strict guidelines introduced by the Dutch Parliament two years ago are usually not prosecuted. The guidelines demand that the patient is experiencing extreme suffering, that there is no chance of a cure, and that the patient has made repeated requests for euthanasia. In addition to this, a second doctor must confirm that these criteria have been met and the death must be reported to the police department.

　　荷兰是欧洲惟一允许安乐死的国家。从技术上讲安乐死不合法，但如果医生按照两年前荷兰议会制定的严格的指导原则实施安乐死，一般不会受到法律的追究。指导原则规定：患者正在经受极大的痛苦，没有治愈的可能，患者一再请求实施安乐死。另外，必须由另外一位医生证明一切都符合上述条件;病员死亡必须向公安机关报告。

　　Should doctors be allowed to take the lives of others? Dr. Wilfred van Oijen, Cees van Wendel's doctor, explains how he looks at the question:

　　是否应该允许医生剥夺他人的生命呢?齐思?范?万德尔的医生威尔弗雷?德范?奥仁医生谈了自己对这个问题的看法：安乐死：赞成还是反对

　　"We mustn't delay any longer ... swallowing is difficult ... and breathing, that's also difficult. Those muscles are weakening too ... we mustn't delay any longer.”

　　“我们千万别再拖下去了„，我吞咽困难，呼吸困难„，那些部位的肌肉一点劲也没有了 „，千万别再拖了。”

　　These were the words of Dutchman Cees van Wendel de Joode asking his doctor to help him die. Affected with a serious disease, van Wendel was no longer able to speak clearly and he knew there was no hope of recovery and that his condition was rapidly deteriorating.

　　这是一名叫齐思?范?万德尔?尤德的荷兰人在恳求他的医生帮助他死时说的话。范?万德尔因身患重病，言语含混不清，他自己也知道根本没有康复的希望，因为他的病情在迅速恶化。

　　Van Wendel's last three months of life before being given a final, lethal injection by his doctor were filmed and first shown on television last year in the Netherlands. The programme has since been bought by 20 countries and each time it is shown, it starts a nationwide debate on the subject.

　　在让医生给自己注射最后一针也是致死一针之前，范?万德尔生命的最后三个月被拍成了电影，去年在荷兰电视上首次播出。在这之后20个国家先后购买了这套电视节目，每次播放，都引发了全民对安乐死问题的大讨论。

　　The Netherlands is the only country in Europe which permits euthanasia, although it is not technically legal there. However, doctors who carry out euthanasia under strict guidelines introduced by the Dutch Parliament two years ago are usually not prosecuted. The guidelines demand that the patient is experiencing extreme suffering, that there is no chance of a cure, and that the patient has made repeated requests for euthanasia. In addition to this, a second doctor must confirm that these criteria have been met and the death must be reported to the police department.

　　荷兰是欧洲惟一允许安乐死的国家。从技术上讲安乐死不合法，但如果医生按照两年前荷兰议会制定的严格的指导原则实施安乐死，一般不会受到法律的追究。指导原则规定：患者正在经受极大的痛苦，没有治愈的可能，患者一再请求实施安乐死。另外，必须由另外一位医生证明一切都符合上述条件;病员死亡必须向公安机关报告。

　　Should doctors be allowed to take the lives of others? Dr. Wilfred van Oijen, Cees van Wendel's doctor, explains how he looks at the question:

　　是否应该允许医生剥夺他人的生命呢?齐思?范?万德尔的医生威尔弗雷?德范?奥仁医生谈了自己对这个问题的看法：

　　"Well, it's not as if I'm planning to murder a crowd of people with a machine gun. In that case, killing is the worst thing I can imagine. But that's entirely different from my work as a doctor. I care for people and I try to ensure that they don't suffer too much. That's a very different thing.”

　　“实施安乐死与我计划用机关枪杀一大群人不能等同，要是那样，我觉得是最恶毒不过的杀人方式了。作为医生，我这样做与用机关枪杀人绝对不同。我关心人，尽力不让他们太受罪，实施安乐死完全是另一回事。”

　　Many people, though, are totally against the practice of euthanasia. Dr. Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of the organisation Healthcare Opposed to Euthanasia, says that "in the vast majority of euthanasia cases, what the patient is actually asking for is something else. They may want a health professional to open up communication for them with their loved ones or family -- there's nearly always another question behind the question.”

　　但许多人坚决反对实施安乐死。“反对安乐死，实施保健护理”组织主席安德鲁?福格森说：“绝大多数实施安乐死的病例中，患者实际上在要求别的东西，他们可能是想让保健医护人员替他们与自己心爱的人或家人沟通――几乎是每个问题的背后总有另外别的问题存在。”

　　Britain also has a strong tradition of hospices -- special hospitals which care only for the dying and their special needs. Cicely Saunders, President of the National Hospice Council and a founder member of the hospice movement, argues that euthanasia doesn't take into account that there are ways of caring for the dying. She is also concerned that allowing euthanasia would undermine the need for care and consideration of a wide range of people: "It's very easy in society now for the elderly, the disabled and the dependent to feel that they are burdens, and therefore that they ought to opt out. I think that anything that legally allows the shortening of life does make those people more vulnerable.”

　　英国晚期病人收容院有着优良的传统，他们专门护理临终病人，照顾他们的特殊要求。英国国家收容院理事会主席，收容运动的发起人西西莉?桑德斯争辩说，安乐死将看护临终病人的方法置之度外。此外，她还担心允许安乐死会使要求护理和得到人们广泛关怀的念头减少。“在今天的社会里，这会让老年人、残病人和依靠别人生活的人容易感到自己是负担，因此，他们感到应该从生活中消失掉。我认为任何允许合法地缩短人的生命的事情，肯定会让人们更加脆弱”。

　　Many find this prohibition of an individual's right to die paternalistic. Although they agree that life is important and should be respected, they feel that the quality of life should not be ignored. Dr. van Oijen believes that people have the fundamental right to choose for themselves if they want to die: "What those people who oppose euthanasia are telling me is that dying people haven't the right. And that when people are very ill, we are all afraid of their death. But there are situations where death is a friend. And in those cases, why not?

　　许多人认为剥夺个人死亡之权是生硬专横的。尽管他们赞同生命重要，应该得到尊重，但他们感到生命的质量也不该忽视。奥仁医生认为，如果人们想死，他们就有选择的最基本的权力。“那些反对实施安乐死的人们告诉我的是这样的一些话：临终者没有这个权力，人们病得严重时，我们都要担心他们的死亡;但有时候死亡是个好事，在这种情况下，为什么不允许他们死呢?”

　　But "why not?" is a question which might cause strong emotion. The film showing Cees van Wendel's death was both moving and sensitive. His doctor was clearly a family friend; his wife had only her husband's interests at heart. Some, however, would argue that it would be dangerous to use this particular example to support the case for euthanasia. Not all patients would receive such a high level of individual care and attention.

　　但是“为什么不允许”是个可能会引起强烈反响的问题。那部反映齐思?范?万德尔死亡的片子既令人动情又令人敏感。显而易见，他的医生是他家的朋友，他的妻子也是一心想为她的丈夫好。但有人会说，用这个特殊的事例来为安乐死叫好是危险的。并非所有的病人都会受到那样的个别护理和关注

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