Nurses welcome vote for equality
ACN has welcomed the result of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey showing that the overwhelming majority of Australians support marriage equality.
Of the nearly 8 out of 10 eligible Australians who expressed their view, 61.6% responded Yes and all states and territories recorded a majority Yes response.
“ACN strongly supports equality for all. It is a fundamental human right and we condemn any kind of discrimination, be it on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or disability,” said Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward FACN, CEO of ACN.
There is a clear link between mental health and equality. People who identify as LGBTQI have the highest rates of suicide and significantly poorer mental health outcomes than the wider population. It has been shown that implementation of same-sex marriage policies is associated with a significant decrease in the proportion of high school students attempting suicide, as well as improving overall health outcomes and reducing health costs of the LGBTQI community.
“Nurses have a long history of caring for people where others have been either unable or unwilling and we absolutely believe that equality is a critical component of health,” said Adjunct Professor Ward.
The Australian people have had their say and ACN urges our parliament to legalise same-sex marriage in a timely manner.
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