Comments on: Lesbian Couple Denied Visitation and Consultation At California Hospital

By: jim

jim — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:56:08 +0000

So a health care provider I’ve paid for with my insurance and cash, can and might, based on their religious beliefs, let me die?

By: Timothy Kincaid

Timothy Kincaid — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:03:51 +0000

The couple are not legal domestic partners, but Rowe has the legal authority to make medical decisions for Orbin, as well as power of attorney.

Perhaps they would have a stronger complaint had they opted to be legal domestic partners.

As it is, I can understand the confusion of the hospital. I wonder if they might have had the same treatment had a man tried to present papers for his girlfriend.

It’s still likely discrimination, but perhaps less aggregious than if their relationship was legally protected.

By: AJD

AJD — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:48:33 +0000

Alex, it would make a good point to put in an ad next time a ballot measure comes around, maybe as a not-so-funny parody of the “Gathering Storm” ad.

Anyway, I refuse to believe that the nurses and paramedics didn’t know what they were doing. Considering it was Central California, I’m willing to bet they discriminated against these women on purpose. And they felt obligated to do it because it’s “what they believe.”
Well, screw them and their “faith.”

It’s funny that the same arguments that these people used against us (“special rights,” “they should keep it to themselves,” “they’re shoving their lifestyle down our throats”) could reasonably be used against them.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:28:55 +0000

I would seriously love to hear what Prop 8 supporters think about this.

By: Noralben

Noralben — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:27:08 +0000

The nurses obviously had to choose between their job and their faith.

By: Richard W. Fitch

Richard W. Fitch — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:18:28 +0000

And it is not just a case of “separate but equal”. I am certain this couple had a significant set of legal expenses to have their paperwork drawn up and notarized, etc; expenses that a married man and woman never have to invest. I’m not sure of all the details, but the adult child of a patient has more rights than were given to this couple. This is a shining example of why clear legislation of LGBT rights can not be dismissed by the anti-SSM antagonists as unnecessary. There are too many stories already where established policies are flagrantly disregarded.

By: Elliot

Elliot — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:59:20 +0000

They can’t even get “separate but equal” right anymore…

By: Lindoro Almaviva

Lindoro Almaviva — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:25:08 +0000

And this is the reason why I believe in litigation and kicking ass when stuff like this happens. This is also the reason why I believe that we can not back down our litigation for marriage equality until we get it.