President Obama has recognized the rights of same-sex partners to be with their spouses in hospitals that are supported by Medicare and Medicaid. Thankfully, this order covers most of hospitals in the US, though not all. A few years ago, if one were to arrive at an emergency room without official paperwork (or sometimes, even with it), he/she would not be allowed to be with an hospitalized patient; I know because it happened to me here in Winston Salem, NC.
After I had a huge confrontation in front of the other "spouses" who had not been asked for "legal paperwork" I was finally allowed to visit my partner in the ED. But none of the other opposite-sex couples had been asked the same questions; if they were asked any questions at all, and said they were fiances, or partners, or spouses, they were allowed to see their partners on the strength of their statements as opposite sex couples, not because they had to bring any actual paperwork.
And even with paperwork, some same-sex spouses have not been allowed visitations because hospitals did not believe that their governing groups supported gay rights. Thank goodness the world is changing...Thank goodness, too, that President Obama has made this change to address a problem that is all too common among LGBT couples, particularly those with children.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
So What's New?
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2 comments:
Amen Susan! Thanks for sharing!
I have often heard people say that same-sex couples can have the same rights with a few legal documents. Even if this were true (and in many cases, those documents are ignored), it makes no sense that Chad's fiancée Beatrix can visit while Doris's partner of 20 years, Daisy, must present notarized legal documents.
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