Hospitals are places that many people try to avoid. For me at least. Bad news is usually something associated with a visit to a hospital. Though sometimes the news can be good, such as the birth of a baby, or the recovery of an illness. For the bad news, however, no one wants to be alone. Unfortunately for some, they had to. While some families gathered together to visit their sick loved ones, others were denied the right to see their significant others. Gay and lesbian partners were once forbidden to see their partners if they were not married or related by blood. If a homosexual was unconscious and unable to make his or her own health decision, that person could not give their gay or lesbian partner the right to make the decision for them. According to The Washington Post, those rules have changed. As of this week, gay or lesbian couples who are not married are allowed to be at the bed side of his or her sick partner.
For those hospitals that do not like this change, they have no choice but to follow it, or else risk losing federal funding. Federal funding is a major part of revenue for hospitals, if that revenue was to disappear then hospitals would be in financial trouble. Hopefully that is enough of an incentive to stick to the rule change and let all people be with those they love.
