Join Email List | About Us | AMERICAblog News
More about: DADT | DOMA | ENDA | Immigration | Marriage | 2012 Elections


'Today the new Hospital Visitation Regulations go into effect'



| Reddit | Tumblr | Digg | FARK

From the Obama administration's LGBT liaison, Brian Bond, writing at the White House Blog:

Today the new Hospital Visitation Regulations go into effect.

This policy impacts millions of LGBT Americans and their families. The President saw an injustice and felt very strongly about correcting this and has spoken about it often over the years. I want to thank HHS Secretary Sebelius and her team for their resolve to see this rule implemented. In fact, long before this rule was finalized, back in June, 2010 the Secretary laid the groundwork by reaching out to leaders of major hospital associations asking them to encourage their member hospitals to not wait for the formal rulemaking to run its course regarding patient-centered visitation rights suggested by the President.

This significant policy change is due in no small part to the journeys of two incredibly courageous and passionate women, Janice Langbehn and Charlene Strong. Both lived through unimaginable experiences with the loss of their wives and life partners. While I never had the opportunity to meet Janice’s wife Lisa Pond, or Charlene’s wife Kate Fleming, I have had the honor to meet and work with Janice and Charlene. I want to thank them for bringing us all into their lives and for sharing themselves and their families with us, and for using their voices to make lives better for LGBT families.
Yes, this is nice. It's good and hopefully will make life easier for some families who are being impacted by tragedies and sickness. But, it's so not enough in the year 2011. DOMA has to go and the President needs to stop defending that law in court.

blog comments powered by Disqus