To the Point
Same-Sex Marriage: The Law, Religion and Politics
Same-sex marriage has been legalized in 4 states and proposed in several others, but it's a long way from becoming a US institution. We talk about Constitutional rights, religious objections and political calculations. Also, today's UN racism conference sparks protests, and torture and war. What's the difference?
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenSame-sex marriage has been legalized in 4 states and proposed in several others, but it's a long way from becoming a US institution. We talk about Constitutional rights, religious objections and political calculations. Also, today's UN racism conference sparks protests, and the horrors of war and the intimate brutality of torture. Is one worse than the other?
Banner image: New York Governor David Paterson announces his intention to introduce a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of New York April 16, 2009. Standing at the podium with Paterson the openly gay speaker of the New York City Council Chrstine Quinn (R). Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesUN Racism Conference Sparks Protests
In Switzerland, at today's UN conference on racism , delegates walked out of a speech by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They were protesting his characterization of Israel's government as "racist." Laura MacInnis reports from Geneva for Reuters .
Read the story6 minSame-Sex Marriage: The Law, Religion and Politics
Only four states have legalized same-sex marriage, and it's pending in just a handful of others. Forty states limit marriage to a man and a woman. But public opinion supports civil unions for gays and lesbians, and voters aged 18 to 45 are favorably inclined toward homosexual rights.
Read the story37 minThe Intimate Brutality of Torture versus the Horror of War
Today's New York Times reports that two suspected terrorists were subjected to water-boarding a total of 266 times, far more often than previously reported. President Obama calls that torture and says it's unworthy of the United States.
Read the story6 min
