Oldest medical journal in the US just pushed the Supreme Court to back same-sex marriage
The oldest medical in America has just backed same-sex marriage, and urged the Supreme Court to do the same.
The New England Journal of Medicine, which is the oldest continually published journal, founded in 1812, published an editorial today titled ‘In Support of Same-Sex Marriage’.
In it, the journal outlined its position that a lack of marriage rights for same-sex couples could be leading a number of health issues for gay people.
“Too often physicians have seen the price that their patients have paid for society’s lack of acceptance of homosexuality,” the authors wrote.
The editorial goes on to note that the encouragement of long-term and stable relationships brings with it a reduced risk of some diseases.
It said same-sex marriage “be accepted both as a matter of justice and as a measure that promotes health.”
It notes that the Supreme Court will head oral arguments on same-sex-marriage on 28 April, and is expected to hand down a ruling by the end of June.
The editorial continues: “More than 1,000 federal benefits are conferred by marriage, among them access to family medical leave, Medicaid, and Veterans Affairs medical services” — and some of those benefits aren’t accessible to same-sex spouses in states that don’t recognize their union. If the court rules against same-sex marriage, the “injustice would damage the health and welfare of millions of Americans.”
