Members of the nation's largest
doctor's advocacy group voted Tuesday to oppose the military's ban on
open gay service, the AP reported.
American Medical Association (AMA)
delegates meeting at the group's interim policy-making meeting in
Houston agreed that the law, known as “don't ask, don't tell,”
hinders open communication between gay men and lesbians and their
doctors.
The law, enacted in 1993, prohibits gay
service members from revealing their sexuality at the risk of losing
their jobs. In October, President Obama promised gay leaders
attending a Human Rights Campaign fundraiser he would repeal the ban.
“A law which makes people lie to
their physicians is a bad law,” Dr. David Fassler, a University of
Vermont psychiatry professor who attended the meeting, told the news
service.
The AMA also declared that gay marriage
bans have a detrimental effect on the health of gay families. The
group concluded that such bans increase the cost of health insurance
for gay couples, significantly increasing their risk of “living
sicker and dying younger,” said Dr. Peter Carmel, an AMA board
member.
During the summer, both the National
Education Association (NEA) and the American Bar Association (ABA),
two similar professional associations, adopted
resolutions backing GLBT rights, including the right of gay and
lesbian couples to marry.