Obama extends hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners

Obama mandated that nearly all hospitals extend visitation rights to the partners of gay men and women and respect patients' choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/15/AR2010041505502.html

 

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Amazing that its taken so long. A step in the right direction.

Thank you.

 

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Well done.

 

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Good job obama.

 

About freakin time. The Tea Party just got larger.

 

one more step in fighting bigotry may we see the day when it is truly relegated to the trash heap where it belongs.

 

I've always thought visitation rights were overly restricted. Why deny a sick or dying person access to those who they most love? Be it a lover, a relative, or just a best friend.

 

Some peaople may only have friends. So something like this is what had been needed.

 

Exactly.

What about people who have no family, or hate the family that they have? I happen to like my family, but I have friends who I'd rather have visit me in a hospital than someone I've never met, but who happens to be related to me by blood or marriage.

 

The only possible problem I am reading about this is the ruling lets patients designate whoever they want as visitors irrespective of whether they’re family or not. So say you have a mentally retarded person who wants to designate their doll as their family--to make decisions etc. What then?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/15/hospital.gay.visitation/

Also, isn't it up to Congress to change this and not the president?

 

This is a rule change within the Executive branch, under control of the prez.

 

I know that, but why this one? Why now? Political reasons? Distract them from all the hoopla of "don't ask, don't tell"?

 

Wait... What? You guys didn't have that already??!?!?!?

 

This is maybe one of the only things Obama has done right.

Peace be unto you

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We should not be surprised that the concept of competency escapes you.

Piecemeal politics. This isn't even "throwing a bone" to the gay community. It's not even table scraps. Functionally speaking, I'll take it, but the president is simply trying to buy some more time from his gay supporters.

 

WTF is with you and personal attacks? Knock it off. Either discuss/debate the topic or leave me alone. I am tired of/fed up with you.

 

A mentally retarded person isn't considered a functional adult whom can make those decisions.

It's an option for congress but the president can do it himself as well (which in this case is much more cost effective).

 

I suspect Tiassa's ad hom is a result of experience in dealing with you. You have demonstrated a long trend of dishonesty and pretending not to comprehend things when they don't fall in line with your political agendas.

 

If free choice is your way, then this is logically consistent.

Folks should have free willl on their choices.

 

i have to agree with some of the comments here, what does it matter who you chose to alow to visit you? As for "next of kin" once again its about time the US caught up with the developed world. There are legal documents in every juristiction here know by various terms but to refer to the 3 most aplicable in SA you have:

Power of attorney (enduring or not, finatial matters)
Enduring Power of Guardianship (ALL lifestyle decisions from where you live, who sees you what you do ect, its a VERY powerful document)
Medical power of attorney (designates a person who YOU chose to have almost apsolute power over medical decisions, more limited than power of guardianship and requirement to follow specific instructions which there isnt in the guardianship document)

It may surprise some people here (including bells who i was aguing with a while ago over this) that "next of kin" have very little power. in general where there is none of the medical documents (guardianship, medical power of attorney or advanced directives under shedual 3 of the consent act) the hospital will TRY to get agreement between all the family before acting but they are under no obligation to and no obligation to actually AGREE with the family. If any of those medical documents are produced however the power is apsolute and CANT be challanged by the hospital except under very strict cirumstances (for instance a medical power of attorney who is directing a hospital to refuse life saving care for a pt who is nither terminal, nor in a persistant vegitative state). Further more a medical agent or guardian can be anyone YOU chose (as long as they are NOT involved in your care unless they are your partner or your related to them), it can be your husband but it doesnt HAVE to be, can be your best friend. Its ment to be the person YOU feel is best able to carry out what YOU want when your incapacitated