President Obama Mandates the Rights of People Who Are Gay

It is certainly a progressive move on the part of the first president in a long time I have respected. President Obama mandated yesterday, April 15, 2010, that most hospitals allow visits by partners of people who are gay. Hospitals must respect their patients' choices about who will be the one to make decisions such as pulling the plug if there is no living will. For sure this is an amazing step in the right (or left) direction. The reason that it effects most and not all hospitals is because those hospitals that don't get Medicare or Medicaid funding are excluded from this decision.

People who are gay have struggled with the heart wrenching words of "You aren't a member of his or her family. " Well not any more! Hospitals must respect their patients' choices. It seems Obama's memo indicated that no one should be denied the right to visit another person based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

I don't know if you can imagine what it feels like to be asked by hospital staff "Are you a member of the family?" and the partner has to say "Well - not exactly." That staff person probably will not allow the man or woman in. Even those who have a living will and have written that they want their partners to make medical decisions are often not listened to. This is overt discrimination. Thanks to our President this is another step in not punishing those who live and love differently than you.

I wrote about Obama's hate crime legislation. The president held the first Gay Pride Day celebration at the White House. Military and defense officials have testified before Congress in favor of repealing of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the armed forces. We are on our way to changing history books.

This is not without controversy both from gay rights activists and others. Some think it is just a small step in a broad heading labeled discrimination and that the steps have to happen faster. Opponents think that this will give people who are gay, rights that others don't have. Some see it as an undermining of marriage between a man and a woman.

The new rule certainly is focused on people who are gay but it goes beyond the gay issue. People who have not been able to have visits by a friend of the opposite sex will not be denied that right!

Sources

NYmag
msnbc
Washington Post

Anything written here that is found in any place other than my sources is purely coincidental.