Obama orders hospital visitation rights for gays, lesbians

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a rule that would prevent US hospitals from denying visitation privileges to gay and lesbian partners.

The president's Thursday memo said, "There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. ... Yet every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides."

Gay and lesbian Americans are "uniquely affected" by relatives-only policies at hospitals, Obama said, adding that they "are often barred from the bedsides of the partners with whom they may have spent decades of their lives -- unable to be there for the person they love, and unable to act as a legal surrogate if their partner is incapacitated."

It was about time something was done about the archaic, cruel and barbaric rule barring same sex partners from hospital visitation rights.

I would simply ask anyone who disagrees with this new policy, what would you feel if you were barred from visiting your lifelong partner?

Read more at: CNN Politics

Come and chat with us:
http://chat.paltalk.com/g2/group/771180009/

RNC and Steele go a courting?

Initially I was heartened when I read in an article on PageOneQ entitled "Steele: GOP should reach out to supporters of gay rights, abortion", that Michael Steele the newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee intimated that his party must do a better job of courting candidates and voters who support gay marriage and are pro-choice.

Alas, it seems that the courting is over and like the black widow spider after courting, Steele is about to eat us.

In an interview with conservative radio host Mike Gallagher, Michael Steele came out against civil unions! Now, we know the RNC is against gay marriage, but I would have thought that Michael Steele with his supposed conciliatory approach would have supported civil unions for gay people instead, but no, it's not to be.

In an entry on Ben Smith's blog on www.politico.com entitled "Steele on civil unions: 'Are you crazy?'", Smith posts the relevant transcript of the radio interview.

Here is the first part of the transcript.

"Do you favor civil unions?" Gallagher asked:

STEELE: No, no no. What would we do that for? What are you crazy? No. Why would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country. I mean this isn't something that you just kind of like, "Oh well, today I feel, you know, loosey-goosey on marriage." I mean, this is a foundational principle of this country. It is a foundational principle of organized society. It isn't something that, you know, in America we decided, "Let's make it between a man and a woman; oh well now, let's change our mind and make it between anyone and anyone." No. ........

And so it goes. I am as confused as ever. Does the RNC want to move forward or not?!