Lesbian denied access to dying partner sues hospital

Its a shame what homosexuals have to go through at this time. I would be devistated if anything happened to me and my partner was treated that way. Why can't we ALL be equal?!

evil bastards.

I'm very proud of Janice for suing the hospital. She definetly has the right to see her partner. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have known somebody who was so near and dear to me for al those years, but not be allowed to see him or her for one last time. It would really kill me. I hope the people who run the hospital will change their perspective and hearts and allow Janice to see her partner before it is too late.

weird DavidPond.. I have never heard of you.. Lisa died in Feb 07 not April 07 we had 4 adopted kids.. tell me who your father is.. because I know all the ponds.. maybe i"m just mistaken.. but I know all of Lisa's cousins.. I could be wrong. if it's u.. what is lisa's father "nickname" and where is their summer home. answer those things.. then ok I stand corrected.

As for florida not recognizing our adoptions.. they have to it's the law.. the birth certificate listed Lisa and I as their mother.. and to the person about Homo having babys.. not us we took kids NO one wanted.. their straight parents ingested drugs and brain damaged these children as a result.

Again, i'm not say this is a gay issue folks.. we had a legally enforcable power of medical attorney.. all medical intervention (emergency wise ) was done after 2 hrs when she was moving toward brain death - and that is the time that they I am ascertaining UNDER the STATE and FEDERAL laws that they had a legal obligation to speak with me as Lisa's guardian b/c of her incapacity.. you can name whoever you want as our medical surrogate.. likely it's your spouse if you are married.. those that are single or in same sex relationships.. can name a neighbor, their partner or a family member.. that's where this all went so wrong in Miami. ok enough said.. read the lawsuit folks.. it spells out the exact timeline of what occurred when. I love reading long responses of those that hide behind jesus.. lisa was practicing catholic.. taught communion classes at our parish etc etc - she was a saint before she died.. that is what is all about .. is that she died ALONE folks.. and it's a horrible burden our children and I have to deal with

ahh.. about the social security it's not me asking for her survivor benefits.. but what is rightfully owed to her (and my legally jointly adopted kids) their death benefit. And I'm sorry you feel that homo's don't have this right but hell if that rich woman in ny could leave her inheritance to a dog.. then a person can name whoever they want to be their beneficiary on their life insurance. I didn't even try to get survivor benefits for me. I need the kids to get their benefits.. b/c after 18years of being together and to be a "single/alone" parent - it has been hard. oh and one other thing all are kids are special needs foster kids we adopted.. drug/alcohol exposed at birth and 2 exposed to AIDS.. not to mention the other 22 kids we fostered since we were just 23 and 24yrs old. I am not making it a gay issue.. it's a human rights and a human dignity issue. enough said on my part just wanted you all to hear it from the "horses mouth" so to speak
peace
jan

hi all, i'm the janice from the story.. a few facts if you didn't want to wade through the 20 page lawsuit. i'm not claiming discrimination - though you can make the connection.. but that I was my partner, Lisa, Medical POWER OF ATTORNEY and the denied me access or ability to make informed decisions about her care for over 8hrs. That they denied our jointly adopted children the ability to be with their other mother for nearly 8 hours as she lay dying. life saving measures ended after about 2.5 hrs or so.. b/c her aneurysm was not survivable - so followed her wishes though clearly I we were treated horribly - i signed to donate her organs and she gave life to 4 people.. a medical power of attorney means you can name ANYONE to speak on your behalf when you are incapacitated - which lisa was.. when i begged over and over to see her for the kids to see her and finally found a chaplain to get a priest to do her last rites I saw her for 5 mins in that 8hr timeframe. I was warned with in the first 1/2 of her arrival I was in an anti gay city and state and would NOT find out about lisa nor see her without paperwork.. so i demand this social workers fax (I also am a medical social worker in my home state) and had our legal enforced power of attorney in their hands with 45 mns of her arrival. So you decide. I asked for an apology for the first 6 months over and over and it fell on deaf ears and then LAMBDA gave them notice and we waited another 6 months for JMH to do the right thing.. and they still did nothing.. hence the lawsuit.. so I can stand up for what I believe is a human right not just a gay right to hold a loved ones hand as they die. peace
www.RwavesofChange.com

This is the kind of thing that gives me chills when I fall asleep at night, hoping that - by the time I'm in a similar position (that is "with" someone for the rest of my life) - picayune definitional differences like this won't matter.

what do people care what other people do BEHIND CLOSED DOORS?Love is Love!!!u love who u love and for someone to judge is stupid.

Is it me or does this hospital remind you of a cold T-1000 unit? I mean, I understand policy and all, but if a warm-blooded human being can't look at a situation and make decisions from the heart, then we might as well replace everyone with microchips. SAD!

Jackson Memorial is a shitty hospital anyways. My grandmother was treated like she was homeless and without insurance. There was feces smeared on the bathroom wall, and puddles in the hallways.

I hope they shut that shit down.

Cant we stop classifying everyone as gay, straight or whatever and just call them people?

all my thoughts and prayers go out to these victims and their beautiful children. We could only be so lucky to find sound homes for children and this is beyond unconstitutional and "family" is not defined by overworked medical staff.

peace
kmarie

This is my family. Lisa Pond is my second cousin on my father's side (our fathers are first cousins) so this issue is very close to home for me.

Lisa was a wonderful compassionate person who with Janice adopted 3 kids and provided them with a much better life then what they had before. They had been in a very loving stable relationship and they were parents to those kids.

Being with my family in the aftermath of this last spring (Lisa passed away in April 2007), i am still appalled that the hospital did not allow Janice to be there. She had every right to be with Lisa in the hospital. If the hospital had called Lisa's parents they would have expressed that Janice was Lisa's life partner and had every right to be there. And i have never heard of a hospital denying a child to see their parent when the parent is having a medical emergency.

I still cant believe in 2008 that the government is telling people who they can and cannot love. You are who you are and love who you love. We are supposed to be the land of the free. The hospitals decision in this situation has and will effect my family for a long time to come. I hope in the future people will put their "religious morals" aside to see this, and recognize another person's love for another no matter what type of relationship they have. Lisa was raised Catholic and our family and her congregation in CT accepted her for who she is.

Please think about Janice and the 3 kids so another tragedy like this wont happen again.

O.K. I've read Janice's comments from the National Media Awards. She made a comment that "Lisa's" name was on the adoption certificate. If Florida does not recognize gay marriages and their home state does not recognize them, Janice may have no legal position in the eyes of the law. This a "heads up" to anyone in a homosexual relationship involving dependent children to seek legal advice regarding the care for the children, the executor of the estate, and disposition of assets, before the death of either partner.
I do not agree with her and the children not being allowed to see Lisa in her last moments, that was wrong. However, the hospital will simply say that she was undergoing emergency care and they are not required under those circumstances to allow any visitors.
There have been a lot of insulting comments regarding this topic. I am astonished by the venom, from both sides of the issue, displayed by some posters. It is unlikely that anyone's life hasn't been touched by a gay friend, relative, or colleague. The name calling and insulting comments only reinforces the resistance and does not contribute to the general understanding of homosexual/heterosexual issues.

Karma's a bitch and everyone at the hospital who did the wrong thing here will no doubt receive their karmic comeuppance somewhere down the road. Hopefully when they least expect it.

Wow. To those of you who said the hospital was right, I just hope you die alone too. Do you know, it's quite hilarious- your estrangement of homosexuals as 'heathens, witches, against god's plan' is primitive and displays minor yet tell-tale signs of budding psycopathy along with the disorder 'homophobia'. Consider this- if you truly believe homosexuality is a choice then you must also condemn yourself to the truth in that you might be afraid of anyone around you at any given time. Put it this way- scientists have PROVEN that there's something wrong with YOU.

I wish I could tell Janice how sorry I am and I wish I could slap that receptionist in the face- I know how she feels. When I was eight I wasn't allowed to see my grandpop while he was ill, not even when he was on his deathbed. My mom snuck me in once in the earlier days, but he needed his rest for tests later on. I never saw him again- closed casket funeral. I knew it was because children are apt to carry diseases like the common cold and strep throat without showing symptoms. This could seriously affect some of the patients in the hospital, and they were right to say no to me. I just wish for the hospital's sake I could say the same about this case. You go get 'em, girl.

What confuses me is how in the UNITED states of America - you can have a gay marriage in California but not Florida - how is that a uniformity of laws in a land?? I frankly think it's disgusting that this lady has not been allowed to die in dignity with her partner present and acknowledged as such. This is just cruel and un-neccessary. Love is love is love. What does it matter if they are same sex partners??
And LAHolly - i'm sorry to hear of your experience too - it's not right that you have to demand not to be treated as a second class citizen just because of your sexual orientation. Disgraceful.

www.freyasykes.com

This is ludicrous. I'm pretty sure it would be a different story if it were unmarried heterosexual partners.

I can't believe this happened not only recently but at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the hospital where a lot of people I know work or rely on for medical care.

How did they "have" three children? Her main issue seems to be "death benefits" and social security. Where is the father of these children?

Someone commented that the hospital was protecting themselves against possible fraud. That is such crap! People are not asked to show documentation of their marriage when they go to the ER. The personnel just ask and the person says they are the spouse. This was just a crime against homosexuals. Very sad!

I love to hump my pet goat. I think I'm going to marry it.

Personally, I believe that people DON'T NEED to get married. The only reason people get married is to celebrate their future lives together and for legal reasons. By the way, I'm for gay marriage :) Best of luck to her lawsuit

Miscegenation was legalized in the 1960's, so how come this form of prejudice is still tolerated in 2008? Wake up people!

Sometimes people horribly neglect to be humane. Whatever your personal choices in life are, everyone deserves to be treated with love and respect. Empathy should be shown to all people in pain. The same kind of empathy we show our pets. Is it really so hard?

Woo Hoo! Someone responded exactly as I had hoped. You tell me that I should turn off my computer and not read stories and save you having to read my opinion. Well, guess what moron, the same goes for you. You don' t have to read what I post either. Why should I be the one who goes away?

Gays use civil right legislation for equal treatment under law. This could be grounds for civil rights action against the group involved, stand up

Go hard or go home

I totally agree with you mjsmith11, Civil Unions for all should be the law of the land. Only I would give marriage back to the Religions. If people want a marriage, let them go to their Priest, Pastor, Rabbi, or Cleric. Every single "union" in the United States, should be a "civil union" equal under the law in every respect.

This story makes a clear case for Civil Unions. Families are the backbone and brick and mortar of America. If these to ladies were recognized partners in life in a Civil Union, these tragic issues would have been avoided. It is horrible to have your partner die, especially with three children left behind. I feel bad that this tragic event was made even worse. I understand that many people are for "Gay Marriage", instead of Civil Unions. I believe that Civil Unions are the way to go, because it will ensure all of the rights and is an achievable goal in all 50 States.

so sad

thats horrible

It just goes to show you how far behind we are. Shame on those doctors and nurses.

damn

Yes, the hospital was wrong not to allow the dying person to have someone with them visitor or otherwise. However, to allow access to the decedent's Social Security or insurance is perfectly acceptable. Homosexuality is a choice and nothing more, just like co-habitation. People have the right to establish a will and determine lines of inheritance until they die. If they failed to do so, they proceed at their own risk. The dying woman did not have a will? Tough. That's why we have probate court. Homosexuality is a violation of God's purpose for humanity. Gays having children is also a violation of that purpose. Remember, I, too, have a civil right to read the news without having deviant lifestyles rammed down my throat.

The Republican National Committee is funding a constitutional amendment on November's ballot in Florida, that would make it impossible for Gays and Lesbians to have equal rights in FL, creating situations like this on a regular basis.

Homophobia is disgusting.

The 'land of the free' my ass. The land of the fascistic Christian missionaries in every possible corner, more like.

This is quite awful. It is a reality that such thing as a Legal Marriage or legal bond should be allowed.

I hope she wins

This is HORRIBLE!!!

A shocking story, to say the least. I hope the people at the hospital can sleep at night knowing what they've done. It's not JUST about the people they kept in the waiting room; it's also about the person who lay dying behind the scenes. She deserved to have people by her side!

The scariest thing about this piece of news is that it happened recently--this sort of thing was regrettably common 15-20 years ago. To know that, even in 2008 when the tides are turning for Gay Rights, this type of outrageous behavior is still occurring makes one ponder how far we really have come.

Human rights for human beings. I am sad for this family, while outraged by the callus hateful teachings of the rightwing "good christians" who have caused them this pain. You would think an educated doctor would know better than to allow it to happen. Jackson Memorial needs to receive a barrage of phone calls .

This is sooo sad to me. I'm really tired of hearing stories like this.. at the same time this should be front page news nationally! So that's sad and angry. I really hope the lawsuit comes out in her favor.

I believe that we have become sick. We have contracted such a disease in which we emotionally barricate ourselves from everyone. We have lost our ability to understand and change. Vacuustactusitus. It's an epidemic caused by a common virus called greed, but more or so often by the bacteriophages fear and control.

Diagnosing Americans everywhere,
Your Cynical 15 Year Old.

I just don't understand how people can treat others like this. I guess people need to be retaught what the golden rule is.

Rights should be available to all people. I am straight, and i know if a gay person had rights it wouldnt hurt mine in either way. why is it such a scary thing for people to comprehend?

That's completely outrageous. I wish her and her children luck on the case.

She should definitely win the lawsuit. Anyone with a heart and/or brain can see how ridiculous this is. Love is universal and those who denied her entry should consider the situation if it had been one of their loved ones in the same position.

what about the children were they allowed to see their mother?

This is a perfect example of why civil rights like marriage equality are so important to those of us who are gay or lesbian. Too many crazy people can do too many crazy things if we don't have protection under the law.

This is nothing short of a crime. Who are they to decide what is family and what isn't? The hospital knew that this was a lesbian couple and took it upon themselves to deny access. Do they feel like they did the right thing? This is absolutely horrible.

Wow, I guess the Hippocratic oath means fuck all. All I have to say is I hope she wins the lawsuit, becomes owner of the hospital, and fires every asshole in the place, just to spite the bastards.

This is horrific!
Love is Love

This is horrible! Who cares who is by a dying persons side, just so it's someone they love to comfort them. The hospital should be ashamed!

a dying person should be able to see anyone whether life partner or just a lifelong friend. How would it have hurt the dying person? This moronic muppetry at its finest.

This is why there needs to be real marriage..like in California

This is scary and sad. I'm californian but i still can't legally marry my girlfriend. If something happen to her i could be turned away at a hospital.

Compassion has gone down the toilet in the health care business,