Today’s POV blog

In May, gay marriage was passed in Maine but was not enacted due to a petition drive from the conservative opposition. Today Maine has put the question to its public and by the time you read this blog, the fate of same-sex marriages will have been decided.

According to Yahoo, early returns show a close contest with those in favor at 53% and those opposed at 47%. If the end result supports this initiative, it would be the first time voters in any state have passed such a measure.

It is believed that a yes vote would drive a grassroots movement to support more ballot propositions across the US, despite the loss suffered in California last year when voters reacted to a court ruling allowing gay marriage.

Court rulings have also approved gay marriages in Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. On the flip side, there have been 30 states that have enacted constitutional amendments that banned gay marriage.

In Washington voters are deciding whether or not to uphold or overturn a recently expanded domestic-partnership law that entitles same-sex couples to the same state-granted rights as heterosexual married couples.

For many of us it’s difficult to understand why a parent would forego calling their pediatrician in favor of prayer, but a recent case prompted the judge to hand down a verdict that read in part, “Americans aren’t necessarily hostile to the concept of faith healing. In fact, there is openness to its possibilities. The [Oregon] trial may have been less about faith healing and more about the way we view the responsibilities of parents. There was a sense among jurors that the parents were doing what they thought was right. As a society, we have to give parents the latitude to do that.”

At Today’s POV when visitors were polled for their position, 100% of the voting visitors indicated that they believe parents should be prosecuted for following religious beliefs instead of seeking medical treatment when their children face a life-threatening illness.

In a February article, Time Magazine online ran the story of 11-year-old Kara Neumann of Weston, Wisconsin. Kara died of diabetes when her parents sought prayer instead of medical help. Shortly thereafter, the state’s attorney charged the parents with reckless endangerment. The parents each face up to 25 years for their adherence to their religion. Mr. and Mrs. Neumann were convicted for failing to seek medical help. Marathon County Circuit Judge Vincent Howard set Oct. 6 for sentencing for both parents.

According to the Adherents‘ web site, Christianity is practiced by the vast majority of Americans with only a handful of religions that counsel against modern medicine. Unfortunately, children are the most visible casualties of their parents’ convictions.

In the Oregon ruling, Digital Journal online reported that on July 23 the jury acquitted two parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, in the pneumonia-induced death of their 15-month-old daughter. Though Oregon had previously tightened its laws to make parents more responsible with regard to using proper medicine for their children, the jury seemed to have sympathized with the parents’ use of prayer rather than medicine to save the baby’s life.