Maine becomes 5th state to allow same-sex marriage

By GLENN ADAMS
Associated Press Writer

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Maine's governor signed a freshly passed bill Wednesday approving gay marriage, making it the fifth state to approve the practice and moving New England closer to allowing it throughout the region.

New Hampshire legislators were also poised to send a gay marriage bill to their governor, who hasn't indicated whether he'll sign it. If he does, Rhode Island would be the region's sole holdout.

The Maine Senate voted 21-13, with one absent, for a bill that authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows. The House had passed the bill Tuesday.

Democratic Gov. John Baldacci, who hadn't previously indicated how he would handle the bill, signed it shortly afterward. In the past, he said he opposed gay marriage but supported civil unions, which provide many benefits of marriage.

Debate was brief. Senate President Elizabeth Mitchell, D-Vassalboro, turned the gavel over to an openly gay member, Sen. Lawrence Bliss, D-South Portland, to preside over the final vote.

Republican Sen. Debra Plowman of Hampden argued that the bill was being passed "at the expense of the people of faith."

"You are making a decision that is not well-founded," warned Plowman.

But Senate Majority Leader Philip Bartlett II said the bill does not compel religious institutions to recognize gay marriage.

"We respect religious liberties. ... This is long overdue," said Bartlett, D-Gorham.

Maine is now the fourth state in New England, to allow same-sex marriages. Connecticut enacted a bill after being ordered to allow gay marriages by the courts, and Vermont passed a bill over the governor's veto.

New Hampshire's House was also expected to vote on a bill Wednesday and send it to Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat.

Massachusetts' high court has ordered the state to recognize gay marriages. In Rhode Island, a bill to legalize same-sex marriage has been introduced but is not expected to pass this year.

Outside New England, Iowa is recognizing gay marriages on court orders. The practice was briefly legal in California before voters banned it.

WHO, experts to discuss making swine flu vaccine

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

The World Health Organization on Wednesday said it will meet with flu experts next week to discuss whether drug companies should switch from making regular flu vaccines to ramping up for an H1N1 vaccine.

WHO on Wednesday confirmed 1,658 cases of the H1N1 influenza in 23 countries, including 30 deaths, as the virus continued to spread.

Marie-Paula Kieny, WHO's Director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research, said the group will hold a teleconference May 14 of its vaccine advisory committee, vaccine producers and country regulators to discuss whether there is enough evidence to recommend that manufacturers should start large scale manufacturing of the H1N1 vaccine, and make "a recommendation towards stopping seasonal production for vaccine."

Seasonal flu kills up to 500,000 people a year, giving WHO a strong reason to hesitate. Experts are still unsure how deadly the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, strain is, but because production takes months, a decision needs to be made soon.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon have called for a meeting May 19 in Geneva with the heads of all the companies worldwide who make influenza vaccine.

The meeting would address production of the new vaccine and how it would be distributed around the world.

"This will be a high-level discussion with the manufacturer appealing to corporate responsibility and to working together toward increased equitable access" to ensure developing countries can acquire vaccines too, Kieny said.

Kieny said the world's vaccine producers could make about 1 to 2 billion doses of the H1N1 vaccine a year.

She said it would take between 4 to 6 months to go from having a culture of the flu virus to having shots ready for the public.

Currently, WHO is recommending "all manufacturers to put everything in place to be able to start manufacturing a vaccine," Kieny said.

WHO reported Wednesday that Mexico still has the most cases of the virus with 946 people infected throughout the country. Cases are continuing to increases in some countries, including Canada, France, Guatemala, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday there are 642 confirmed cases of the flu in 41 states.

Two people have died in the United States and 35 people have been hospitalized.

Contributing: Associated Press