The boundaries of moral propriety have expanded a bit in the last year, according to Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey. Specifically, more Americans today than a year ago say that the death penalty, embryonic stem cell research and having a baby out-of-wedlock are morally acceptable.

The following issues were viewed as morally acceptable by Americans:

• Death penalty: 70%
• Divorce: 66%
• Medical testing on animals: 66%
• Gambling: 64%
• Buying and wearing fur clothing: 64%
• Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos: 60%
• Sex between an unmarried man and woman: 58%
• Having a baby outside of marriage: 54%
• Doctor-assisted suicide: 49%
• Homosexual relations: 44%
• Abortion: 40%
• Cloning animals: 35%

The following four issues were the least acceptable:

• Suicide: 13%
• Cloning humans: 9%
• Polygamy: 6%
• Married men and women having an affair: 5%

More generally, few Americans describe the current state of moral values in this country positively — according to the survey — and most say moral values are getting worse.

The full report can be found at www.gallup.com/poll/content/print.aspx?ci=16318.