More details on the same-sex couple who were abused by the KC, Missouri hospital.

[pnwmom]

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/04/12/1857741/what-actually-happened-to-that-same-sex-couple-in-the-missouri-hospital/

There has been a lot of speculation as to what actually transpired when Roger Gorley was arrested away from his husband Allen’s bedside in a Missouri hospital earlier this week. Despite the fact Roger and Allen have granted each other power of attorney for medical decisions, the Research Medical Center claimed that Roger was “disruptive and belligerent,” arguing that is why the police arrested him and removed him from the facility.
Now, Roger’s daughter Amanda has shared a detailed account of what transpired that paints a picture even more offensive than many may have imagined. The full account can be read here as well as some additional details she shared in an interview with blogger John Aravosis. Here is a breakdown of the family’s circumstances and what transpired in that hospital room according to Amanda:
The Couple’s Background
Allen suffers from severe depression and is currently undergoing electro-shock treatment (ECT) twice a month because his medications are no longer allowing him to function normally.
Allen has specifically excluded his family from having any say over his medical decisions because they have not been understanding of the impact of his depression.

SNIP

[dlwickham]

1. this keeps getting worse and worse

these two are going to own a hospital when all is said and done

[riqster]

2. They'll have to

if they want the right to be together in the hospital.

Otherwise, any random bigoted bible thumper will have the right to do it again.

[gollygee]

3. People can be so hateful

This poor man is having enough trouble with his depression without having his family keep his husband from him when he needs him most.

[PDJane]

4. This kind of stuff is digging DOMA's grave, IMHO.

Same sex marriage is absolutely nothing to be afraid of; it prevents this kind of crap and allows people to have their lives and loves validated.

[RKP5637]

5. This type of crap is unbelievable. I hope this place gets smacked with a

major lawsuit.

[Mopar151]

6. Sounds like a half-cocked "intervention" gone wrong.

I have no doubt Lee and Pat told the paramedics quite a tale, and found some kind of sympathetic ear in the nasty nurse. And, yes, the root of the problem is that Allen and Roger's relationship is seen as less than legitimate - Indeed, that powers of attourney, wills, and the like are seen as non-binding due to the nature of their relationship. Would these be seen in the same light if Roger was Allen's lawyer?

[adifferentptofview]

7. A different perspective?

As a medical professional, it wouldn't matter to me what the relationship was between the parties if there was a person yelling and poking their finger at me, making it difficult to treat the patient, they would be asked to leave. And if they wouldn't leave, the police would be called. The patient is priority. There is no place for that behavior in a hospital. I know you all want to look at this from a "rights violation" point of view, but if it wasn't an issue of the men being gay, would you have cared so much? Would it be front page news if a straight man was admitted to the hospital for a mental disorder, meaning they're already under mental duress and his wife came in and started fighting with a family member, screaming and being belligerent with the staff, refusing to leave the room and then fighting with the cops, would you be so outraged? Taking Gorley out was the best for everyone. It gave everyone a chance to calm down and he was allowed back in after he had calmed down. If he broke the law, there is no basis for a lawsuit. If you're asked to leave private property and don't comply, that's a crime. While people might understand the hysterics, the law can't be ignored.

[jeff47]

8. You're about 4 steps too far down the road

The incident did not start when the husband refused to leave. The incident was started when the family demanded the doctors ignore the patient's wishes and federal law, and the hospital complied.

Your desperate attempt to excuse the hospital staff makes absolutely no sense if "the patient is priority". If that were the case, the hospital staff would pay attention to the patient's wishes, documented by all those legal documents they ignored.

[The Magistrate]

9. I Suppose, Sir, You could Pile More Ignorance Into This If You worked At It

First, that the partner of an adult holds power of attorney is decisive: the blood relations have no say, and the partner had legal authority to have family members disrupting the situation removed, not the other way around.

Had it been a straight couple, and a wife told the staff to disregard a blood relative, her wishes would have been acceded to, and the blood relation taken out.

It is obvious from the full story this was an attempt by blood relations to 'intervene' and break up a homosexual relation they disapproved of. In this effort, bigots on a hospital staff and a police force co-operated.

[Mopar151]

10. This post precisely illustrates the Delores Umbrage perspective

Where a need for "order" and "decorum" trumps the law, decency, and common sense.

[In_The_Wind]

11. The patient has a right to have emotional support, don't ya think.