Same-sex marriage laws are linked to fewer suicide attempts among teens

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Policies permitting same-sex marriage are linked to fewer suicide attempts among young people — especially those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or questioning. That might be because such policies reduce stigma perceived by LGBQ kids, according to a new study published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

Same-sex marriage policies were associated with a 7 percent reduction in the proportion of high school students reporting a suicide attempt within the past year, the authors found. That would be equivalent to an estimated 134,446 fewer adolescents attempting suicide each year. Gay marriage was legalized everywhere in the US in 2015.

Suicide is the second-leading cause…

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