The science of same-sex marriage

Ακολουθεί περίληψη στα ελληνικά και απόσπασμα από το ακόλουθο άρθρο:

Kuhr, Fred. The science of same-sex marriage. Advocate Issue 963: 5/23/2006: p34-36.

Περίληψη: Το άρθρο εστιάζει σε επιστημονικά βιβλία και έρευνες που παρουσιάζουν τα θετικά αποτελέσματα στην υγειά (ψυχική και σωματική) που έχει η χορήγηση άδειας γάμου σε ομόφυλα ζευγάρια καθώς και οι αρνητικές επιπτώσεις που προκύπτουν από την άρνηση αυτού του δικαιώματος.

Το βιβλίο των Darren R. Spedale's και William N. Eskridge Jr. Gay Marriage: For Better or for Worse? What We've Learned From the Evidence, είναι από τα πρώτα που παρουσιάζουν εμπειρικές αποδείξεις της νομιμοποίησης της ομόφυλης συμβίωσης. Οι Gilbert Herdt and Robert Kertzner είναι οι συγγραφείς του I Do, But I Can't: The Impact of Marriage Denial on the Mental Health and Sexual Citizenship of Lesbians and Gay Men in the United States. Η έρευνα των Herdt και Kertzner δημοσιεύτηκε τον Μάρτιο του 2006 του τεύχους του Sexuality Research and Social Policy. Η έρευνα παρουσιάζει την αρνητική ψυχολογική επίδραση στα ομόφυλα ζευγάρια ως αποτέλεσμα της άρνησης του δικαιώματος γάμου.


...Researcher Darren R. Spedale spent two years in Denmark on a Fulbright scholarship researching same-sex partnerships, which have been legally recognized there since 1989 and provide most of the benefits of marriage. His new book, Gay Marriage: For Better or for Worse? What We've Learned From the Evidence, coauthored by Yale Law School professor William N. Eskridge Jr., is one of the first to present empirical evidence about the effects of legalized same-sex partnerships. "What we found is the legal benefit of marriage leads to an emotional benefit of security," Spedale says [...] Right-wing religious leaders like to argue that allowing gay couples to marry will lead to an erosion of the institution of marriage, Eskridge adds. But in Denmark, among heterosexuals, rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births have actually gone down since 1989, while marriage rates have gone up. Eskridge and Spedale also found that legal recognition of same-sex unions has an impact on public health. Countries that recognize same-sex couples have had lower rates of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. […]

Anthropologist Gilbert Herdt and psychiatrist Robert Kertzner have found that to be true. They are the authors of "I Do, But I Can't: The Impact of Marriage Denial on the Mental Health and Sexual Citizenship of Lesbians and Gay Men in the United States." The peer-reviewed study was published in the March 2006 issue of Sexuality Research and Social Policy, the journal of San Francisco State University's National Sexuality Research Center, where Herdt serves as director. It shows that in spite of their ability to create alternative family structures, gays and lesbians suffer hindered mental health and well being as a result of being denied the right to marry.

And it can lead to what Herdt and Kertzner call "relationship ambiguity." "These couples are at greater risk of ending the relationship, particularly during hard times," says Kertzner, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at UCSF who is also an adjunct associate research scientist in Columbia University's psychiatry department. […]

Are we getting married?

Among the places where same-sex couples have equal marriage rights, the number of marriages has varied widely
United States 5,994 In Massachusetts in 2004, after same-sex marriage became legal there on May 17

Canada 3,000
Estimated number of same-sex marriages from June 2003, when Ontario first allowed them, through November 2004; federal legislation was passed in July 2005

Spain 1,000
Estimated marriages from June 2005 legislative legalization to March 2, 2006

Belgium 2,442
Total number of marriages from legalization in January 2003 through June 2005

The Netherlands 8,127
Total number of marriages from legalization in September 2000 through 2005