CHICAGO
— The
American Medical Association on Tuesday voted to oppose the
military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy,
and declared that gay marriage bans
contribute to health disparities. The nation's largest
doctors' group stopped short of saying it would seek to overturn marriage bans, but its new stance angered conservative
activists and provides a fresh boost to lobbying efforts by gay-rights advocates.
APA: Gays shouldn't be advised to change, psychologists say
OBAMA: Pledge to
repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' questioned
"It's highly significant that the AMA as one
of this country's leading
professional associations has taken a position on both of
these issues," said
Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,
a
Washington-based advocacy group.
The
health disparities measure "in the long run, will certainly help efforts to
win marriage equality,"
Carey said.
Whether the AMA's lobbying power will hasten
efforts to overturn the "don't ask,
don't tell" law remains to be seen. President Barack Obama
has said he is
working with congressional leaders to end the policy, and the AMA's stance
will
likely help, although gay rights issues have been upstaged by Obama's health
care overhaul battle.
The AMA's vote took
place at the group's interim policymaking meeting in
Houston, a day after AMA delegates voted to
affirm their support for health
reform.
The health disparities policy is based on evidence showing that married couples
are
more likely to have health insurance, and that the uninsured have a high
risk for "living
sicker and dying younger," said Dr. Peter Carmel, an AMA board
member.
Same-sex families lack other benefits afforded married couples, including tax
breaks,
spouse benefits under retirement plans and Social Security survivor
benefits —
all of which can put their health at risk, according to an AMA
council report presented at the meeting.
But Jenny Tyree, a marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, a
conservative advocacy group, called it a health insurance problem, not a
marriage
problem. "We all know there are problems with health care so let's
solve the problem
of the uninsured, rather than messing with marriage," she
said.
Doctors who pushed the group to oppose "don't ask, don't tell" say the policy
forcing
gay service members to keep their sexual orientation secret has "a
chilling effect"
on open communication between gays and their doctors.
"A law
which makes people lie to their physicians is a bad law," said Dr. David
Fassler, a University
of Vermont psychiatry professor who attended the meeting.
In other
action Tuesday, the AMA moved closer to supporting medical marijuana,
adopting a measure
urging a federal review of marijuana's status as a controlled
substance. That would make it easier to do
research, which the AMA said could
lead to development of marijuana-based medications that don't
require smoking.
The group said its position doesn't mean it supports legalizing marijuana.
