AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION VOTES TO SUPPORT SSM: From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The country's leading mental health organization voted Sunday in Atlanta to support marriage for same-sex couples, the first major medical association to do so in the polarizing debate.

Representatives from the American Psychiatric Association took up gay marriage as an issue at their 158th annual convention this week and approved a proclamation to support legalizing such marriage.

"The American Psychiatric Association supports the legal recognition of same sex civil marriage," according to the approved statement. "Heterosexual relationships have a legal framework for their existence through civil marriage. Same sex couples therefore experience several kinds of state-sanctioned discrimination that can adversely affect the stability of their relationships and mental health."

The vote was taken by the association's Assembly, an advisory group made up of 250 representatives from each state and region. A clear majority said yes to supporting gay marriage. The psychiatric organization's board of trustees is expected to adopt the measure in July. ...

The psychiatrists said discrimination is toxic to mental health, and as medical professionals, condoning it collides with the ethics of their profession.

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posted by Eve at 2:10 PM VOTE

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