Prop. 8 Backers Declare Victory; Foes Won't Concede

States shoot down abortion limits, ban gay marriage, back assisted death
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 5, 2008 5:08 AM CST
Prop. 8 Backers Declare Victory; Foes Won't Concede
Gerry Leone, Middlesex District Attorney, speaks against proposal to decriminalize marijuana at a news conference in Boston earlier this year. The measure passed in yesterday's vote.   (AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesafye)

Backers of a gay marriage ban have declared victory after a tight race in California but opponents refuse to concede until all the ballots are counted, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The Prop. 8 measure was one of several divisive social issues put to a vote yesterday. Measures that would have banned almost all abortions failed in Colorado and South Dakota.

Nebraska voted to outlaw race or sex-based affirmative action, while Washington became the second state in the nation to allow dying people the option of physician-assisted suicide. San Francisco's proposition to ban police from arresting prostitutes was rejected by a big margin. Massachusetts voted to decriminalize marijuana possession. Gay marriage bans passed in Florida and Arizona, but the California vote is expected to have the biggest impact.
(More Election 2008 stories.)

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