Same-sex partner barred from Indiana hospital [View all]

[n2doc]

ichael Boren and Jill Disis, The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman says she can't visit her unconscious same-sex partner in a local hospital because the partner's mother has banned her from the room.

Sarah Bray, 34, says her partner was taken Wednesday morning to Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis after a drug overdose. Bray says she was able to visit her partner until her partner's mother arrived and ordered her to leave.

"This is a clear violation of LGBT hospital visitation rights," David Stevens, a spokesman for GetEqual Indiana, said about the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals. Bray reached out to Stevens' group about her concerns.

The case raises complicated questions about hospital visitation rights, especially for same-sex partners. Gay rights advocates argue that Bray's rights are being violated. But legal experts consulted by The Indianapolis Star say not enough details are known to determine whether the hospital is discriminating against her by allowing Bray to be banned from the room.

A memorandum signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 extends hospital visitation rights to same-sex partners at hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid — even in states such as Indiana that don't recognize same-sex partnerships. It also extends patient care decisions to same-sex partners if they have been designated as the next-of-kin representative.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/14/same-sex-partner-banned-hospital/3524889/


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