On the Governor's Veto of Same-Sex Burial

Governor Carcieri's veto of a bill that would allow gays and lesbians to claim the bodies of - and make funeral arrangements for - their partners is proof positive of an old political maxim: elections matter.

In a heavily Democratic state where a majority support gay marriage, in a region that has embraced same-sex unions more than any other in the country, this sort of modest expansion of gay rights should have passed without incident. But a socially conservative governor killed it with the stroke of a pen.

It is, at once, a disheartening development for gay and lesbian advocates and, in an odd way, a reminder that better times lie ahead: it is hard to imagine any of the major candidates for governor vetoing a similar bill.