Thumbs up: Iowa and Vermont legalize gay marriageMarriage is a right that has been denied to homosexual couples for too long on the grounds that allowing same-sex partnerships will destroy the sanctity of marriage – in a country with a 50 percent divorce rate and 24-hour drive through wedding chapels. While the legalization of gay marriage in a state such as Iowa, which has been traditionally considered conservative, is a stunning victory for gay rights supporters, the legalization of gay marriage in the Vermont legislature is even more impressive. The Vermont decision marks the first time gay marriage has been legalized by a representative body and not the courts. The Vermont legislature narrowly achieved the 2/3 majority necessary to override the Republican governor’s veto of the bill, proving that equality is becoming the will of the people and not merely the work of “activist” judges.
Thumbs down: Attendance weak at ASUO debate
It was disappointing Tuesday to see turnout at the ASUO executive candidates debate so sparse. In a hall mostly stocked with ASUO insiders and the campus media reporters who cover them, the ASUO executive hopefuls found themselves preaching to a choir of the already-informed. If there’s any hope that the ASUO’s elected officers stop playing pretend politicians and start using the organization as an instrument to make a real difference for students, it’s going to require the vigilance and pressure from the student body regularly showing up, asking questions, demanding answers and holding their student government accountable.
Thumbs up: State legislators support Senate Bill 966
Sen. Diane Rosenbaum, D-Portland is the chief sponsor of SB 966, which would expand paid leave for Oregon workers to care for newborns or ill family members. The legislation, which only applies to businesses with at least 25 employees, would provide payments of up to $300 for up to six weeks for full-time workers on family leave. The United States lags far behind other industrialized nations when it comes to providing relief for employees who need to take time off to provide necessary care for a family member or loved one. If passed, this bill would ensure that Oregon employees don’t have to choose between temporary care for a newborn or parental and financial security.
Thumbs down: Four Catholic colleges in Pennsylvania honor birth control ban
Leaders of a Pennsylvania diocese last week asked the presidents of four Catholic colleges – King’s College, Misericordia University, Marywood University and the University of Scranton – to provide information about their student health services, in order to ensure the schools were not distributing or encouraging use of birth control or contraceptives to students. This week, the presidents of each school confirmed that the institutions aren’t interested in middle ground or sexual health, ensuring that none provides condoms or other contraceptives, much to the relief of the pedantic and woefully out-of-touch Catholic Church. Apparently, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections are more desirable to the bishops than progressive thinking or standard health care.
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