New Hampshire

A New Hampshire man has attracted support for his online petition to have the word "marriage" changed from its traditional definition of a union between one man and one woman to also include same-sex couples, which he says would strengthen legal arguments for gay marriage.

Mike Raven posted his argument directly challenging Dictionary.com, entitled "Dictionary.com: Correct the definition of marriage," on the petition website Change.org. So far, Raven's petition has received 7,630; his goal is to attract 10,000 signatures.

Raven writes that he posted the petition after seeing his lesbian twin sister's reaction to the North Carolina amendment, passed in May, which continues to make same-sex marriage illegal in the state. more >>

Another married gay man may succeed the retiring Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church, the Diocese of New Hampshire announced.

The Rev. William W. Rich, a married homosexual, is senior associate rector at Trinity Church in Boston, and is one of the three candidates for the position of bishop. The other two candidates are the Rev. Penelope Maud Bridges, rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, Va., and the Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst.

Rich holds a doctoral degree in psychology and religion and has also been a lecturer at Union Theological Seminary in New York, the Boston Globe reported. more >>

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is closing in on officially clinching the race to become his party's presidential nominee after securing five new sweeping victories in Northeastern primary states.

Romney scored easy victories on Tuesday, all through Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York. The closest race was in the state of Delaware, where one of his remaining rivals, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, campaigned heavily in recent weeks, but even there Romney won by 56.5 percent compared to 27.1 percent of the votes Gingrich received.

The former Massachusetts governor has been seen as the presumptive winner of the GOP race ever since his closest rival, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, suspended his campaign two weeks ago. His only remaining challengers are Texas congressman Ron Paul and Gingrich, although the latter has given strong indications that he will suspend his run next week. more >>

A bill that would repeal New Hampshire's same-sex marriage law appears likely to pass through the state's House and Senate, but it is unclear if the legislation has enough support to overturn a veto from the governor.

New Hampshire passed a bill allowing same-sex civil unions in 2007, which were then converted to same-sex marriages by another bill passed in 2009.

The second bill officially allowed new same-sex marriages in the state beginning on Jan. 1, 2011. more >>

The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted Wednesday to eliminate state funding intended for Planned Parenthood or any other agencies providing elective abortions.

The bill (HB 228) was passed by a margin of 207 to 147, removing state-controlled family planning dollars from abortion providers. Under the bill, public and private entities that provide comprehensive health care to women and do not perform abortions will get first consideration for funding.

House Speaker Bill O'Brien said the House vote was reflective of how the American people feel about funding elective abortion. more >>

Kenneth Starr, president of the world’s largest Baptist educational institution, Baylor University, is urging voters to choose candidates based on who has the qualifications to be president, rather than on which, if any, faith group they belong to.

Starr addressed the upcoming New Hampshire primary and the question prospective voters may be asking themselves regarding a candidate’s religion, mainly if they can vote for someone who is of the Mormon faith, such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Some, like State Rep. Judy Manning (R-Marietta), who have endorsed former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination, have suggested that Romney’s faith would be a problem for voters. more >>