Pro-Family Wrap-Up of Ballot Initiatives and Amendments
by Allie Martin and Jody Brown
November 3, 2004
(AgapePress) - Pro-family activists are celebrating major victories in ballot measures across the country.
Voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman and banning same-sex "marriages." The amendments won easily approval in Kentucky, Ohio, Mississippi, Arkansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia, Montana, Utah, and North Dakota. Oregon was the only state where the amendment was even close, as homosexual activists poured all their resources into that state in hopes of a victory.
Other issues of concern to pro-family voters were also on the ballots in other states. In Florida, almost two-thirds of those voting approved an amendment that requires notification of the parent or guardian of a minor before an abortion. The executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference, which represents the state's Catholic bishops, calls the amendment "a first step to restoring the rights of parents to look out for their daughters." But a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Florida attributes the victory to voter confusion.
California voters gave the nod to a proposition that sets aside up to $3 billion for embryonic stem-cell research over a ten-year period, beginning in 2005. While supporters of Proposition 71 claim the measure will stimulate the state's economy and place the Golden State at the forefront of research in the field of embryonic stem-cell research, one pro-life leader sees negative consequences.
"This is a financial boondoggle that relies upon creating and killing of human beings," Wendy Wright, policy analyst for the Concerned Women for America, tells Associated Press. "It has both moral and financial implications."
By a 62-to-38 percent margin, Montana voters approved Initiative 148, which allows registered patients with debilitating medical conditions to produce, possess, and use marijuana with a doctor's approval. And in Arizona, 56 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment that will require persons there to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
