CNN.com - Elections 2006

Moral Issues

Moral issues sometimes drive voters to the polls not only to support or oppose a candidate, but also to make their voices heard on dozens of ballot measures dealing with issues like same-sex marriage. What do you think? How did moral issues (such as abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell research) affect your vote this November?
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Latest comments:

I'm deeply saddened by the yes vote win on the amendment to the WI constitution on same-sex marriage. I am a Christian, but truly believe in separation of church and state. Unfortunately, the church has greatly influenced the definition of the amendment.

Melissa - Little Chute, WI

My state voted in favor of a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. This is something that will not affect me directly; I voted against it because amendments are not something I take lightly. Amendments are good when they protect or give rights to all people. They are good when they protect or improve our economy. We already do not legally recognize gay marriage - how is this amendment doing any of the above?

C. Watkins - Nashville, TN

Moral issues have always been my platform since 1990. Our families need to be protected and I feel sad and sometimes angry that there are elected officials who try to take family values away from us. I believe my view on voting is nothing new and has been a platform for millions since the beginning of voting.

Denise - Belen, NM

I may be much too simplistic in my point of view but here are my 2-cents worth: Abortion: Are you against it? Then don't have one. Gay Civil Unions: Are you against it? Then don't have one. Stem Cell Research: Are you against it? Then don't utilize it. Next issue, please...

Gelso Rosa - Atlanta, GA

My primary concerns in voting are that church and state remain seperate, abortion legal, and that stem cell research is federally funded. I also want gays/lesbians to have the right to marry. I am less angry with the Republicans for the Iraq War than I am for their being too close to Evangelical leaders. The religious right must be stopped. Otherwise, America could wind up like Iran or Saudi Arabia one day.

Justin Harrison - Purchase, NY

I think that permanent gay relationships should 'enjoy' the advantages of lower federal tax rates, insurance, and legal rights in such things as 'do not resuscitate', etc. However, it's not correct to call it marriage. I hate the sin, but love the sinners, and don't wish them ill. I am certainly not in favor of gay adoption.

Mike Sanders - York, PA

I wish the politicians and voters who brag about moral issues, had some. Wouldn't that be a nice change? At least the might quit "commiting false witness against their neighbors".

Linda Gillespie - Knoxville, TN

I agree with David Wimberly from Pittsfield, MA [previous post]. Our country is confused over the definition of conservative and liberal. Our politicians like that and want to keep it that way. Every election, wedge issues are brought up to divide us and to target particular voters that will just vote on one issue alone. After the election it is back to business as usual. The only groups that really matter to our representatives are the ones with the big money. ... The average citizen must get out and VOTE. If more of us voted our politicians would start to listen. The politicians have tuned us out and thereby created so much apathy to politics. Just what they want. We must tune in and take back America. Politics is not a dirty word, but sometimes it takes a four letter word to be heard.....VOTE!

Don Janz - Milwaukee, WI

I don't fell that the government should have any roll in such moral issues as abortion, same-sex marriage or stem cell research. I feel that these issues fall into the same catagory as freedom of speach, freedom of religion, etc.

Patricia Syverson - Schaumburg, IL

Civil unions and marriage should available for all couples to chose from, with identical legal rights provided, regardless of sexual orientation. If you want a religious ceremony, choose marriage. If not, get a civil union. My constitution guarantees equal protection for all- it is time that we stopped discriminating and walked the talk.

Jeff Meneely - Johnson City, TN

I am a Catholic and of course think that adoption is a better option than abortion. But I am also a woman and a Democrat and I would never presume to condemn another woman for making a choice that I've never had to make. The government should have no place in a woman's right to choose. In the end, it is a personal decision that they have to live with, and it is their choice and their right to make that choice.

Colleen Trainor - Centreville, VA

I just cannot understand why my views on moral issues are considered leftist. I'm a Republican because I believe in small government, low taxes and a leave us alone attitude. I don't know many in the party that are actually conservative, certainly not Bush who wants to tell me who to marry and to care about a few cells vs. human life. ... We are so confused in this country we don't even know what conservative or liberal means anymore ... and that is a big problem as those that want our votes use this confusion to manipulate us.

David Wimberly - Pittsfield, MA

I cannot believe that we are STILL talking about abortion. NEWSFLASH: its 2006, invite yourselves to join the 21st century. It is not 1950 or 1960 or whatever place of nostalgia some of you are living in, and it's high time we start realizing that because we have an incredible list of more important issues to deal with at this point. Abortion is here to stay,and it's time those of you who waste breath on the issue put forth some time and effort towards something like Social Security reform, which is going to affect you a whole lot sooner than the abortion issue, since most of you I would venture to say are already finished having children.

Billy Fuller - Kansas City, MO

I've already voted absentee in WI and am praying that we will be the first state to reject religious extremism using a scared document (the constitution) to deliberately discriminate against a group of people. It boggles my mind that people cannot look to our history to see how we have consistently discriminated against small groups of ourselves. Surely this shows how history is cyclical. Furthermore, history is bunk.

Christopher Joseph - Middleton, WI

Moral? We live in America, the country that is supposed to be free. If gays want to marry gays so; what is it of your business to say no? If a woman wants an abortion then is it your right to say no? ... I don't think we truly are free any more in America. We are only as free as the small groups of people with the loudest voices are. ... Homelessness, poverty, church and state, welfare -- these are issues that make me sick to think we in America do nothing about.

Brett Taylor - Vancouver, WA

Bush wants to protect the "sanctity" of marriage by defining it between a man and a woman. I'm so pleased Britney Spears will forever and always be able to run off to Vegas with a drunk friend and obtain the legal benefits that same-sex couples have been fighting for for years. A divorce rate over 50%; tell me George, where is the sanctity?

Seth Halpern - New Haven, CT

I support civil unions (call them whatever makes each state happy) for monogamous gay couples, and believe that stem cell research will be essential to medicine in the future. Abortion, however, is my number-one issue, and I will never vote for an anti-choice candidate. If your religious belief tells you that abortion is wrong, then you should choose not to have one--but the government has no place making religious decisions for American citizens.

K.H. - Columbus, OH

I will vote against every Republican who has been backed by the Far Right Christian Coalition. I strongly believe in the separation of Church and state and I feel that the Bush administration has stepped way overboard in giving the Far Right "Holy Roller" preachers influence over decisions being made by government. When Congressmen from Kansas attempt to have change how science is taught in public school classrooms to include the biblical stories of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, I say enough is enough.

Larry Desaire - Grand Island, NE

I only support abortion as it pertains to those who were raped, or their life would be in jeopardy if they proceeded with carrying full term. If they don't want the baby, then give it up for adoption, lord knows there are plenty of people out there who would love it.

Susan - Oklahoma City, OK

I think the issue of abortion boils down to two simple questions. First, does the government have a responsibility to protect human life? Most people would probably say yes. Second, does medical evidence point to a embryo/fetus being a human being? Certainly in the second and third trimesters it does, and it's hard to define a point between conception and birth where humanity suddenly begins. While I truly sympathize with women who find themselves in heart-wrenching circumstances that make them consider abortion, adoption is always a morally just choice for the expectant mother to make. No amount of difficulty in a mother's life can justify murdering her child.

Isaac Schwoch - Fairborn, OH

The medical world (especially pharmaceutical companies) is rich with cash. They have been growing richer due to high prices that they claim is due to research costs on medications. I have no problem with stem-cell research, but why should that be taxpayer expense? Perform the research and try to find a cure, but do not look for handouts from taxpayers.

Brian Koehn - Parkers Prairie, MN

If I have 2 married homosexuals living next door, how will that affect me? Are my children less safe? Will I pay more for a gallon of milk? Will my commute to work increase? Of course not. Let them get married! The majority of the homosexuals do not desire a wedding in a church. They want a civil ceremony. They want a marriage certificate. They want to be equal, just like suffragettes at the turn of the century and blacks 50 years ago. It's time to right the wrong... AGAIN.

Jeff Althof - Imperial Beach, CA

Let's go ahead and legalize same sex marrying. Maybe everyone would do it and say in 75 to 100 years there would be no people left and the cockroaches would rule the world.

Phil Wills - Blum, TX

If same-sex marriage is immoral because it will destroy the institution of marriage ... then let us outlaw divorce, also.

Tom Allen - Missoula, MT

Growing up I remember my grandfather having to go to a home in the early 70's because he would wander off sometimes. Back then people called it being "senile". My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in his 70s and that progressed until his death some years later. I guess I fail to see why anyone would argue against a possible cure to this horrible debilitating disease. The [stem] cells that are in question are from in vitro fertilization and are destroyed anyway. There is no life question here.

Randy Arnold - Council Bluffs, IA

We all remember the "values voters" from just two years ago. They shocked media pundits with their impact on the election. I believe they will jolt the elections this year by saving Congress for the GOP. I am a "values voter." I am against gay marriage, civil unions, and abortion. Yet the most important reason I'm voting Republican will be their seriousness and clarity about the War on Terror.

Chris Rawlings - Lakewood, CO

I am greatly opposed to creating new terminology for the word marriage. Marriage has traditionally been recognized as being between a man and a woman. I believe that changing that tradition will lead us to an ever-changing definition of the institution of marriage. If we allow marriage between members of the same sex, what not between relatives, minors, animals, or several partners. After all who are we to define the term marriage?

Peter Bryanton - Enfield, CT

I am not gay. It doesn't appall, disgust or offend me if two gay adults who love each other marry. It appalls, disgusts and offends me that they are not given the same legal right as any two heterosexual adults. To me it's the same as saying 'you can't have the same thing as me because you're a different color than me.' It's discrimination.

Libbi Bosworth - San Antonio, TX

I think the government could do itself a huge favor by not getting involved in these issues. I'm Catholic. I will always believe that abortion is murder and that homosexuals cannot enter in to sacramental marriage. But I also believe that we live in a free country and it would be asinine to force my views on others. In addition, denying the rights and privileges of marriage to homosexuals is discrimination, plain and simple.

William Woessner - Fairfax, VA

For those who are making comments on morality of stem cells I would advise you to take a basic genetics course, or read a peer review journal and educate yourself. (Check out PubMed.gov) Too much of the hype surrounding stem cell research comes from uneducated, illiterate politicians and preachers who need a platform to advance themselves.

Stacy - Brooklyn, NY

While I don't support same-sex marriage, I can't understand why it has become an issue in this country. I wouldn't vote either way if it was on the ballot in my state. I do support a woman's choice and stem cell research. Where is the passion in this country for health care, better education and taking care of the very young and elderly?

Antoinette Sellitto - Philadelphia, PA

Instead of answering Jeremy B.'s question regarding abortion [previous post], I would like to pose one to him: How many unwanted children have you adopted? ... I would like you to go to look into the adoption/foster situation in the US and tell me where justice for these children can be found. ... Instead of vehemently opposing abortion, why don't people do more to provide homes for those children already in need?

Farran Peterson - Boulder, CO

Just reading these comments concerning gay marriage and abortion it is very apparent why our country, and indeed this world, is in such an immoral tailspin. We need leaders who are not afraid to fight these issues, and not back down from the threats of the activists who wish to force their immoral values upon the rest of society.

J. Earl - Honolulu, HI

My votes this election year will be based on economic, foreign policy, education, terrorism, and other important issues. However, I will never compromise civil rights issues and refuse to vote for anyone, from either party, who puts their religious and personal social views above the more important issues, the issues we elect our officials to deal with.

Stephen Smith - Bridgewater, MA

The relationship between two men or two women is not, nor will it ever truly be marriage. Much the same way 1 + 1 does not equal 3. Extend all the rights and privileges equally to everyone, but to change the definition of a word simply because a small segment of the population disagrees with it is absurd.

Kevin - Worcester, MA

I am a Democrat and am against abortion and gay marriage but these are my personal choices and beliefs. But the question is: Who am I to become the moral police for the rest of the world? ... The religious right has Taliban-ized religion and the moral issues in this country.

Kumar Iyer - Austin, TX

Women couldn't vote, Blacks had to ride in the back of the bus, Japanese Americans were put in camps during WW2, and now gays can't marry. Why must we continue to periodically embarrass ourselves? What makes us so insecure that the concept of equality is difficult for many to grasp?

J.D. - Sacramento, CA

Moral issues will play a huge part in the way I vote. And there is something I'd like to point out to the masses. The phrase separation of church and state is no where in our Constitution, so stop the ignorance and read the thing. Our country was founded on Christian morals and values. The separation of church and state is implied and it refers to the state not favoring and one religion.

Robert - Middletown, RI

I agree with Steve from Calif. What does his lifestyle have anything to do with my life. In fact if he would be a happier person if he could marry his partner, would that not make the world just a little better. My honest opinion lets get rid of marriage or at least keep it separate from government.

Chris C. - New Haven, CT

It is time for us the Americans to separate the social and legal aspects of gay marriage. While we may not all agree with the term, "marriage," being applied to gay unions, we should at least provide the same legal rights to gay couples. It only makes sense.

Ivar Araknine - Plano, TX

These "moral" issues are the most important factor in my votes. I see the first amendment of our constitution constantly under attack from the religious right. The first amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances." The first sentence PROHIBITS the government from ENDORSING ANY RELIGION. Laws don't dictate morality, only legality.

David Sacks - Metairie, LA

As a gay man in a relationship with my partner, I find it troubling to see that people take offense with my relationship. My relationship has no bearing on a heterosexual couple's relationship and does not destroy another couple's love for one another. People should quit using marriage and other laws to create a double standard for gay couples. We pay taxes and have the same patriotism and love for the US, why should we be treated as second class citizens?

Steve Boeckels - San Francisco, CA

I completely agree with Steve Q. from San Fran [previous post] on the issue of same sex marriage. In the near future it will be an embarrassment for our country that the issue was ever even debated. Whatever happened to separation of church and state?!?!?

Mike J. - Boston, MA

Thank god the New Jersey Supreme Court had the common sense to allow benefits for same-sex couples in their state. Gay marriage is being defeated in states by politicians are cheating on their wives and/or sitting in divorce counseling with their wife every Thursday evening trying to salvage what remnants of marriage they still have left. Not all of us stand on the Biblical premise that marriage was created solely for one man and one woman, since apparently straight couples can't even get that right. Marriage should be about love, not gender. Maybe then the heterosexual divorce rate will stop being 6 in 10.

Zane McMillin - Lansing, MI

Can ANYONE explain to me why abortion and killing human embryos is the right thing to do? I challenge anyone to come up with an argument that makes sense to the unborn child why he or she has to die. Anyone one that is for abortion or stem cell research should stand in line and give their life first.

Jeremy Brown - Chambersburg, PA

What right does the government have to be involved in any of these issues? If their own family had a disease that was curable with a stem cell transplant, they would they would then be in favor of stem cell research! If somebody was raped and sodomized or had to seek a back alley abortion the "moralist" would then be in favor of abortion. If they were gay and wanted to be afforded the same rights as married couples, then they would be in favor of same sex marriage. Until we are put in any of these situations none of us knows what we will do.

Yvonne Dauterive - Norwalk, IA

I think it is ludicrous that any eighteen year old pop star, or any would-be superstar, can go off and marry any man of the moment in Vegas because their drunken brain cells tell them to, and it is legitimized, but a gay couple with twenty years under their belts cannot have a legally recognized commitment.

Amy Crockett - Roanoke, IL

Stem-cells research, abortions, and same-sex marriages shouldn't be an arguable topic in my opion. I believe of what I have heard about stem-cell research, it could be the next step for us as humans to begin advancing our medical fields ... Abortions is a personal matter and NO BODY else should be allowed to know because it's a personal matter and a choice that has to be made between two people. Same sex marriages should be allowed. What right do we have to take away somebody's right to seek their happiness? I am sure people wouldn't be happy if they came up to you as a male and say that you can't marry your wife because you two as a couple are offensive.

John Dooley - Habersham, GA

Keep letting the so called moral majority influence politics and you will soon have the church police peering into your bedrooms to see who you are sleeping with. It seems we will be returing to the time of the Puritans, witch hunts and scarlet letters.

Jack Groves - Jacksonville, FL

I'm perpetually annoyed by the presumption that abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell research are the only "moral issues." To the contrary, the main moral issues we're confronting this election cycle are hubris, corruption, the willful killing of Iraqi civilians, and a national indifference to the poor and hungry all over the world (including those right here in this country.)

Sarah Greenwood - Lawrence, KS

The government does not have place in moral issues. They tried back some years ago with alcohal - that only made a few people very rich and created a scenario of crime and violence.

Joy Hiers - Geneva, OH

Forty years from now, people who oppose same sex marriage will be seen the same way as people who oppose interracial marriage - the fact that this was even a debate will be embarassing to our history as a nation.

Steve Q - San Francisco, CA

It's absurd that people think it's more important to legislate personal relationships and medical procedures than to allocate decent funding for education, basic medical care and economic development (training, transit, etc.)

T - Milwaukee, WS

Some folks contend: "Government's main purpose should be to leave people alone to live their lives as they see fit, and to keep other people from interfering with people's lives." Funny ... John Wayne Gacy said the same thing!

Jerry Adams - Chicago, IL

Honestly, I think pulling the "moral" card is ridiculous and deliberately divisive. None of these directly affect me, so why should they affect my vote? What effects me is the wage gap and corporations making record breaking profit, but I don't see any of it.

Elizabeth Hartman - Travelers Rest, SC

A moderate Republican here who will be voting Democrat on November 7th. It is time for all good moderate, progressive and liberal Republicans to take back our Party. The REAL Republican Party would oppose all efforts to interfere with a person's rights to privacy and desires to marry the person of their choice.

Daniel Fauth - Shawano, WI

Call me a Barry Goldwater Libertarian Democrat. When it comes to personal freedoms, the government should keep their noses out! Personal freedoms are, what I read, what I write, what goes on in the bedroom and who I marry as long as it hurts no one physically.

Daniel Beringer - Waco, TX

What really "irks" me about the stem cell issue is these "hollier than thou" JackXXXXs truly believe that their faith is more important than MY health. We have freedom of religon in this country, so why is a religous issue forced on me via law? We also have SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! ... I'll vote for ANYONE in support of stem cell research!

Daniel K . - St. Louis, MO

It seems that the Republicans are all about limiting the role of government with regard to financial matters, but apparently they think they know best when it comes to so called matters of morality.

Mark Trimble - Carrollton, TX

I do not think the gay community is mature enough to allow marriage just yet. That is not our fault, just a fact. Civil unions would be the more appropriate level to begin with. Then, after we grow into more stable adults we should be affored marriage.

Richard Chase - Houston, TX

I get a good laugh whenever politicians, regardless of party, start stumping on moral issues. The irony is overwhelming. I believe that the original form of the Pledge of Allegiance (the one without the words "under god" in it) should be reinstated. Just because a couple is a same sex couple are we enlighted and mature people supposed to think they are something less because they are both of the same sex? In my personal view abortion is an abomination, but who am I tell you or the other 300 million Americans what is right to believe? Same sex marriage and abortion should be kept at a state or even local government level, letting the local populace decide what is right for them.

Dirk Visser - Mill Creek, WA

I will NEVER support same sex partnerships/mariage. It is a mockery to God, who ordained marriage between one man and one woman. This does not mean I will vote "Republican" though. Neither Republican nor Democrat serve the public's best interest.

Dustin Schroeder - Saint Paul, MN

I'm willing to give the gay community almost everything they want on this issue. All federal & state benefits. All rights and other perceived benefit that goes along with marriage. There's one catch.....I'm not willing to give in on the word "marriage". Call it whatever you want but not "marraige".

Michael Parry - Manassas, VA

My beloved father suffered from Parkinsons disease for 14 years until his death. I think it is a CRIME that the RELIGIOUS RIGHT think it is their moral duty to prevent research for a cure of many diseases. It is OUR MORAL RESPONSIBILTY TO PUSH FOR STEM CELL RESEARCH, anything else is immoral. I am sick and tired of the so called RIGHT WING "CHRISTIANS" running our country into the ground with their neanderthal way of thinking.

Nan Beckwith - Sterling, VA

Gay marriage and abortion are simply wedge issues used to create furor and divide our country. ... In the end, my marriage is not weakened or cheapened or made any less by two men or two women deciding to pledge their love for one another forever. Voting against gay marriage is voting against love.

Karl Meyer - Austin, TX

Moral issues have no bearing on my vote at all. Moral issues are best left up to individuals and families. ... These moral issues are trotted out every election to motivate Christian Conservatives and other who seek to impose their value system on the majority of Americans.

Jeffrey Anderholm - Bar Harbor, ME

I refuse to endorse anyone who attempts to force their moral view into law for everyone to abide by. This applies to abortion, gay marriage, or any other issue. People should be free and responsible for their own hoices. America has become one of the most diverse countries on Earth. We need diverse choices and solutions.

Brandon Ballenger - Pompano Beach, FL

Why does a political party who proclains not to want big government hypocritcally proclaim to have the right to tell me who I can love, with whom I can have sex, be in my Dr's office with me and tell me how and when I have to die??

Lana Nimmo - San Diego, CA

Morality issues are almost irreverent now because there are MUCH more important issues at hand, one case being immigration. So why dwell on them so much? None the less, something like banning gay marriage is idiocy. They are not harming anyone in anyway, therefore, why should we ban it? I see no logic in that. Moral issues are a big issue for me, and if they don't match my views on it, I will not vote for them.

Pieter Waldenmaier - Barnegat, NJ

Moral issues are the main reason that I am going to vote. I strongly oppose abortion and same sex marriage. Regardless of how much the Democrats are pushing other issues I think that the results of the upcoming election will be very similar to 2004 and not bring the landslide victory to the democrats, which it seem that the media is predicting.

Ryan Stroud - Columbia, SC

These are some of the most hot button issues. You cannot regulate people's behavior. I am not gay, but, I am not homophobic. I have no problem with gay marriage. Stem cell research is a great idea and I think it should be allowed. Personally, abortion is out of the question but, I am pro-choice.

Charles Stokes - Seymour, TN

Laws against gay marriage are like the laws we used to have against interracial marriage; nothing but prejudice enshrined as law. Such laws are archaic. There is no place for such antiquated laws in the 21st Century. Government's main purpose should be to leave people alone to live their lives as they see fit, and to keep other people from interfering with people's lives.

Bob Shell - Radford, VA

I don't think the country should dictate moral laws, but they should make financial decisions that encourage moral behavior. No government funding should be available for abortion, stem cell research, gay married couples, people in this country illegally, etc. If a person chooses to exercise the freedom to live immorally or illegally, they should finance it themselves, not expect the government to support their decision.

Joanne Greene - Seaside Park, NJ

I have no idea how America originally ventured into the marriage business but it seems entirely inconsistent with our division of church and state. Government is vested with the responsibly of providing legally binding contracts to protect economic interests. The merging of souls, social santioning of sex or whatever else is presumed to happen during marriage is more appropriately the business of religion or other social institution. Want a legal contract? Go to the court house. Want something else? Go to a church, temple, social club, somewhere they share your values and will support your decision. But don't demand that all the rest of us share your values.

Gary Breitenbeck - Baton Rouge, LA

Social/moral issues are not going to concern me. The states will sort them out on their own, and so far they've done the job how the citizens in those states want.

Jeremy Adkison - Leavenworth, KS

I will not vote for a candidate who will refuse to extend equal marriage rights to lesbian and gay couples. LGBT rights may continue to be attacked by politicians for a number of years, but I am certain that in the end the oppression will be overcome.

Natalya Moss - Roswell, GA

Since politicians are the most unethical, immoral group of people I know of, there isn't much difference between a Republican and Democrat. But I believe the war in Iraq is wrong ... it's all about oil. They have not been advocates for alternative fuel (except coal -- and we all know how clean coal is!), nor have they been advocates for conservation. Also, I strongly support stem cell research and a woman's right to choose. So I will vote Democratic this year, and strongly urge everyone with whom I speak to do the same.

Christine Goley - Gainesville, TX

Who's right is it to tell someone how to live their lives. I guess the amendment that defines the seperation between the church and the state should be changed before making laws that are related to religion. This issue will highly affect my vote.

Rolando Gonzalez - Lone Tree, CO

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