Hospital Visitation Rights for Gay, Lesbian Partners Take Effect

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Patients at nearly every hospital in the country will now be allowed to decide who has visitation rights and who can make medical decisions on their behalf -- regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or family makeup -- under new federal regulations that took effect Tuesday.

The rules, which apply to hospitals participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, were first proposed by President Obama in an April memorandum and later implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services after a period of public review.

They represent a landmark advance in the rights of same-sex couples and domestic partners who heretofore had no legal authority to be with a hospitalized partner because they were either not a blood relative or spouse.

Hospitals must now inform patients, or an attending friend or family member, of their rights to visitors of their choosing. The policy also prohibits discrimination against visitors based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

Janice Langbehn, who was barred from her partner Lisa Pond's bedside at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for eight hours after she suffered an aneurysm in 2007, hailed the development as bittersweet justice.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hospital-visitation-rights-gay-lesbian-partners-effect/story?id=12642543

[Solly Mack]

1. k/r

[Forkboy]

2. K&R

[pinto]

3. Kick

:kick:

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

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[Fearless]

6. They'll have to think about what matters more: people or dogma...

I won't hazard a guess at which one they'll pick. :eyes:

[armetisius]

17. People or Dogma?

In reply to "what matters more: people or dogma..."
We have around two thousand years of evidence on this
question ranging from the mass forced labor deaths of
native peoples to pedophile priests of the previous,
and I suspect current, centuries.
Given the choice the Catholic Church always chooses
the later.
a.

[Fearless]

22. Indeed and welcome.

[Scottybeamer70]

7. Long overdue

Been there and confronted with that!

[bengalherder]

8. I am glad my GLBT bros and sisses will be able to take advantage of this.

I say this as a straight who has been shamelessly unmarried unlegally to a husband of fourteen years. His right at my bedside was never questioned even when we hemmed and hurred around our 'legality' of marriage.

Hopefully, you will never have reason to use such rights. :)

[d_r]

9. good news

[truebrit71]

10. Great news!

:applause:

[Altoid_Cyclist]

11. Great news for so many reasons!

This should have been the standard years ago, but it's still great news.

[defendandprotect]

12. K/R --

What a long, long road to get to this point --

unbelievable --

but, this is finally in effect!

:)

[madrchsod]

13. about time......

[handmade34]

14. awesome!!

[tomhayes]

15. Now we'll know what to blame for the next hurricanes

k/r

[slay]

16. Long past time - but YAY!

:woohoo:

[SemperEadem]

18. anyone who would bar someone's partner

from their hospital bedside is a despicable human being.

It's a shame that a law had to be implemented in order to force assholes to open up a can of "act right".

[armetisius]

31. Anyone?

As a gay man, I have seen many friend's "partners" turned away for no other reason.
I have even seen some families demand the hospital bar "partners", or friends, from the grounds;
prefering that their son, or daughter, die alone rather than admit that they could love,
and be loved, by someone "not our kind of people". This is so long past due it isn't funny.
I have also seen families use the opportunity to lock "partners" out of their "child's home"
that the "couple" built together over the last ten, twenty, or more years together.
Only when we have the same protections that marriage allows can we be
truly equal and safe in our homes, actions and lives.

[SemperEadem]

33. well said... and welcome to DU

[Kajsa]

19. Finally!

It took a long time to get this civil right
for my GLBT brothers and sisters!

:applause: from this STR8 against H8

K&R

[bobbolink]

20. Justice delayed.... finally achieved.

:toast: :applause:

[Politicub]

21. K&R for important legislation

The party in power matters. Period.

I *love* that the concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity are getting memorialized in federal law in a positive way. Thank you, President Obama and HHS Secretary Sebelius.

Actually, I'm in tears right now from happiness.

[northzax]

25. the point is that this isn't legislation

it's a rule. this one is directly on the White House;

[tekisui]

23. KNR!~

[LynneSin]

24. This isn't just a breakthru for the GLBT community

A woman who has an abusive husband can now get him barred from seeing her, that is huge too. (same for anyone else in a relationship where one partner is abusive to the other partner).

[MindandSoul]

26. Better late than never! Baby steps toward full equal rights! Great!

[BadgerKid]

27. Long overdue. K&R. n/t

[EFerrari]

28. K&R

[Volaris]

29. Hooray for the first step...

in returning SACRAMENTAL marriage to the realm of America's churches, and NOT having that sacrament carry any kind of secular benefit, unless you fill out the paperwork (which ANY legal adults should be able to do, even without a piece of paper from one of the aforementioned churches).
No one gets reduced-priced school lunches for having been Baptized, and you don't get a tax break for being born-again, why should the Sacrament of marriage BY ITSELF convey ANY secular benefits whatsoever.....

[CatWoman]

30. this is WONDERFUL news

:applause:

[myrna minx]

32. Magnificent. K&R n/t