In the past decade, the country has come a long way in supporting and accepting homosexuals and same-sex marriage. Currently 37 states have legalized same-sex marriage.
But in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee, marriage is still only recognized between a man and a women, based on rulings in lower courts. This is why the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the issue on April 28 and have a ruling by June.
Potentially the Court could rule to have same-sex marriage recognized nationwide. That’s what Edward W. Campion, M.D., Stephen Morrissey, Ph.D. and Jeffrey M. Drazen, M.D. are hoping for. In an editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine, the doctors not only speak to the importance of full acceptance of every person, despite sexual orientation, but they also point to the fact that having the right to marry has clear health benefits.
“A fundamental tenet of all medical care is the acceptance of patients as they are, for who they are, with respect and without prejudice or personal agendas,” they write.
The doctors discuss the historical background of how homosexuals have been unfairly treated both in the United States and abroad – even being considered mentally ill or having a documented disorder. They have been ostracized by the public as well as the medical community. Thankfully progress is being made, but there are still stuggles.
Too often physicians have seen the price that their patients have paid for society’s lack of acceptance of homosexuality. Stigma and shame lead to stress, anxiety, dysfunctional behavior, depression, even suicide. For all of us, sexual identity is an essential part of who we are. Those who are homosexual in a society that cannot give acceptance and respect suffer a constant insult to identity and a constant barrier to a normal life.
Beyond the health effects homosexuals (or anyone in the LGBT community) endure as individuals, the inability to marry has its own health-related consequences.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Same-sex marriage should be accepted both as a matter of justice and as a measure that promotes health. Marriage as an institution is about stable, long-term relationships, which we know encourage health, reduce the risk of some diseases, and promote healthy families. All health professionals know that in those with chronic and severe illness, care almost always relies in part on family. And when things get really difficult, as when life and death decisions need to be made, physicians know that talking with a patient’s partner is not legally the same as working with a patient’s spouse. Many same-sex couples are now raising children, and the health of those children demands that their parents have the full rights and protection of marriage.
There is also the issue of obtaining adequate health insurance, especially for couples that have children. As the doctors point out, “More than 1000 federal benefits are conferred by marriage, among them access to family medical leave, Medicaid, and Veterans Affairs medical services.” Those benefits are not available for same-sex spouses who are in states that don’t recognize their marriage.
Most of the country is embracing change, and the majority of Americans now believe same-sex marriage should be legal. But there’s still more progress to be made.
The Supreme Court should require the full recognition of same-sex marriage throughout this country. If the Court rules otherwise, whatever the legal logic, a clear injustice will result. And that injustice would damage the health and welfare of millions of Americans.
