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Fewer teen suicide attempts in states with gay marriage: study
US states that implemented same-sex marriage legislation prior to its legalization at the federal level saw a drop in suicide attempt rates among high school students, new research shows.
States that
The researchers compared 32 of the 35 states that
States that did not implement such policies prior to federal
“Permitting same-sex marriage reduces
“There may be something about having equal rights — even if they have no immediate plans to take advantage of them — that makes students feel less
After
The rate of suicide attempts among America’s youth continues to rise, with those cases requiring medical attention jumping by 47 percent between 2009 and 2015.
The study shows that 29 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual students reported having tried to commit suicide in the past 12 months, compared to six percent of heterosexual students.
Researchers used data taken between January 1999 and December 2015, examining trends starting five years before Massachusetts became the first state to
The US Department of Health and Human Services aims to reduce adolescent suicide rates by 10 percent by 2020, as part of its Healthy People 2020 program.
Study authors suggest that
“We can all agree that reducing adolescent suicide attempts is a good thing, regardless of our political views,”
“Policymakers need to be aware that policies on sexual minority rights can have a real effect on the mental health of adolescents.
“The policies at the top can dictate in ways both positive and negative what happens further down.” DM