Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Good and bad news on propositions

Good: Washington joins Oregon in allowing doctor-assisted suicide, South Dakota rejects further abortion limits, Michigan allows medical marijuana and stem cell research, California rejects further abortion limits, Colorado rejects the definition of person as beginning at conception.

Bad: California, Arizona, and Florida ban gay marriage with constitutional amendments, Arkansas bans gay couples from adopting children.

(Results at CNN.)

UPDATE: Ed Brayton notes at Dispatches from the Culture Wars that the California result on gay marriage was evidently due to religious bigotry:
In California, exit polls showed that those who attended church regularly voted against marriage equality 83-17%. Those who attended church only occasionally voted for marriage equality 60-40%. Those who do not attend church at all voted for marriage equality 86-14%.
The same was true in Arizona, where exit polling found that:
Protestants generally supported the measure but that Catholics were fairly evenly divided. Nonreligious voters were solidly against it. ... Proposition 102 had slight leads among Whites and among Hispanics.
...
The youngest voters were split for and against, with support for Proposition 102 increasing among voters in older age groups. Voters age 65 or over were solidly for the amendment.
Prop. 102 will ultimately be overturned as the older generation dies off.

2 comments:

Hume's Ghost said...

"Arkansas bans gay couples from adopting children."

Yeah, and they did it a sleezy manner, too. The law prohibits cohabitants from adopting, not singles. Since gay couples can't get married they're prohibited from adopting.

normdoering said...

Keith Olbermann had a great "special comment" on the passage of Proposition Eight in California.

It's up on my blog.