A question of human rights – The Hindu (Aug 11, 2016)

A question of human rights – The Hindu (Aug 11, 2016)

We are a group of persons from across the country working with women over several decades around issues of their rights and health. In response to the article, “A tricky debate on abortion” (Aug. 3, 2016), we would like to contest from the perspective of women’s rights the arguments made by the author. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

Word List:

1. Contest (verb) – oppose, object, dispute, challenge, question.
2. Stigma (noun) – negative belief/mark, a mark of disgrace, dishonour, a mark of discredit.
3. Call upon (phrasal verb) – appeal to, ask, request, demand.
4. Autonomy (noun) – self-sufficiency, individualism; self-determination, freedom from influences.
5. Morbidity (noun) – (in a specific population) the rate of disease/illness.
6. Mortality (noun) – (in a particular time/for a cause) the rate of death.
7. Frivolous (adjective) – silly, foolish, irresponsible, thoughtless, light-minded, non-serious.
8. Coerced (adjective) – forced, compelled, bludgeoned, influenced.
9. Non-consensual (adjective) – without a mutual consent.
10. Contraception (noun) – artificial methods which are used to prevent pregnancy.
11. Oblige (verb) – compel, force, contrain, impose, coerce, pressurize.
12. Care for (verb) – look after.
13. Aggravate (verb) – make something more serious/worse/severe.
14. Trauma (noun) – stress, strain, pain, anguish, suffering.
15. Impede (verb) – hinder, obstruct, hamper, delay; lock, check, stop.
16. Per se (adverb) – in itself, intrinsically; by definition, essentially.
17. Be vested with (verb) –  give someone legal rights/power.
18. Fetus (noun) – unborn child; the spelling “Foetus” is still used in some non technical contexts.
19. Ethical (adjective) – moral; social.
20. Here and now (phrase) – the present time.
21. Profound  (adjective) – extreme, acute; complex, difficult; great, deep.
22. Juxtapose (verb) – place/set side by side, mix; compare, place against another.
23. Grim (adjective) – dreadful, horrible, appalling, terrible, awful.
24. Anomaly (noun) – abnormality, irregularity, oddity, deviation.
25. Sterilisation (noun) – the surgical procedure which permanently prevents a person’s capability of reproduction.
26. Fertility (noun) – reproductiveness, potency, ability to conceive.
27. Empowerment (noun) – accreditation, authorization, delegation.
28. Secular (adjective) – non-religious, worldly, earthly, profane; unsanctified.
29. Outlook (noun) – point of view, viewpoint, opinion, thinking, perspective, position.
30. Consonance (noun) – agreement, concord, accordance, harmony.
31. Covenant (noun) – a formal written agreement/promise/contract.
32. Imbue (verb) – inject, instil, ingrain; fill; diffuse.
33. Patriarchy (noun) – a family/group/society/community/government controlled by a man/a group of men, descent described through male line of the family.
34. Lose sight of (phrase) – fail to consider, forget to remember.

Note:

• Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ .
• Definitions (elementary level)  & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.