Re: SSM Plebiscite
Reply #213 –
The figures quoted are seen as relevant and accurate by several local organizations. I think I'll take their word over yours.
"The groups, which represent both the frontline and clinical side of mental health, say a "yes" result will "undoubtedly" change thousands of young lives for the better and avert as many as 3000 secondary school suicide attempts each year.
This claim draws on peer-reviewed research by some of America's top adolescent mental health experts, published in JAMA Paediatrics, that showed a strong correlation between same-sex marriage policies and high school suicide. The introduction of state same-sex marriage was associated with a 7 per cent relative reduction in suicide attempts."
In the USA most states require people to be 18 or 19 to marry, are they included in the figures of "teen" suicides, in Australia marriage can now be as young as 16.
The use of the term "teen suicide" is clearly designed to build an associative bridge with the reports we read about school children, but in the SSM debate it's adults using this for political purposes.
How about they leave it out of the debate, as it's clearly an issue in it's own right that needs dedicated and specific intervention of which SSM is only a very minor part!