Gay civil partnerships may improve health - Just another one to add to the long list of Gay Rights.

LONDON (Reuters) - Gay and lesbian civil partnerships — better
known as “gay marriage” — could bring lasting health benefits to
same-sex couples, researchers said on Tuesday.

Doctors already
know that marriage benefits the health of both sexes in a variety of
ways. Scientists said civil partnerships for gay couples were likely to
offer similar advantages.
* Now is it morally right to take the right to a longer and happier life away from a human being just because of their preference in gender?

“Marriage confers health benefits on
men and women and similar benefits could arise from same-sex civil
unions,” said Professor Michael King, of London’s Royal Free and
University College Medical School, in a study published in the Journal
of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The Netherlands, Belgium,
Spain, Australia and Canada already give same-sex couples the rights
traditionally offered to married couples.
* These are countries that are light years ahead of us in terms of logical thinking.

Britain introduced civil partnerships for gay and lesbian couples late last year.

Elton
John and his partner David Furnish made use of the new legislation,
which creates partnerships which are not technically marriages but
confer similar benefits.
* Christians believe that marriage is a Christian thing and should be kept sacred, but for some reason, they are against the “similar benefits” part, even if marriage isn’t a part of the partnership. That’s just pure hate.

“It looks like both men and women benefit from (traditional) marriage,” King said in an interview. These
are not effects just on happiness or well-being. They seem to be
important in terms of cardiovascular disease and other issues.”
* Giving this benefit to homosexuals = equal rights. Not giving it, is well, discrimination.

Civil unions probably reduce discrimination against gay and lesbian couples and make their relationships more stable.

“If
it leads to gay peoples’ relationships being more stable because
families recognised them and there was a social framework of
recognition, that might mean less exchange of partners, less sexual
risk, less drinking, less of the sorts of problems that gay men and
lesbians sometimes get into.”
* These effects are a product of how society treats them. This is the same boat black people were in before the sixties, and is why white people dominate the successful corporations of today.

Civil unions probably also increase
support for gay and lesbian partnerships among families and in society
at large, allowing couples to resolve any problems that arise in their
relationships more easily.

“Social inclusion is a very big thing
because if partnerships lead to recognition … then that stops a lot
of unhealthy habits that occur and it also stops a lot of psychological
issues,” King said.

“There is very good evidence now that gay men
and lesbians are much more vulnerable to deliberate self-harm, to
suicide attempts or to depression and other psychiatric problems.”

Access
to health care would also improve, according to the report which was
co-written by Annie Bartlett from St George’s Hospital Medical School
in London.

Paraphrased from Reuters.co.uk, * asterisks are comments from me.

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