Thankfully, progress

Obama orders same-sex hospital visits: Gay, lesbian couples must be allowed visitors, medical power of attorney

The rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicaid or Medicare funding, which is the majority of hospitals in America.

Officials said Obama had been moved by the story of a lesbian couple in Florida, Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, who were kept apart when Pond collapsed of a cerebral aneurysm in February 2007, dying hours later at a hospital without her partner and children by her side.

Obama called Langbehn on Thursday evening from Air Force One as he flew to Miami, White House officials said. In an interview, Langbehn praised the president for his actions.

"I kept saying it's not a gay right to hold someone's hand when they die, its a human right," she said, noting that she and Pond had been partners for almost 18 years. "Now to have the president call up and say he agrees with me, it's pretty amazing, and very humbling."

The new rules will not apply only to gays. They also will affect widows and widowers who have been unable to receive visits from a friend or companion. And they would allow members of some religious orders to designate someone other than a family member to make medical decisions.

It reminded me of the case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson, a lesbian couple who were separated for years until Thompson finally won the right to care for Kowalski, who had been severely injured in a car accident.

It's good to know that other couples won't have to fight draining court battles to be with their loved ones. But there is a big caveat--hospitals have to respect the wishes of their patients but those wishes must be known. That's where advanced directives/living wills are so important in determining who has say over medical care. Remember--it's easy for something to happen that prevents you from conveying your wishes in an emergency.