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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2007.123745v1 98/6/971    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Labella, A. Articles by Singh, D. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Labella, A. Articles by Singh, D.

Angelena Labella, MD and Devika Singh, MD, MPH

Angelena Labella is with the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle. Devika Singh is with the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Angelena Labella, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St, Box 356421, Seattle, WA 98195-6421 (e-mail: alabella{at}u.washington.edu).

Same-sex partnerships encounter tremendous challenges in the context of healthcare, including empowerment to act on behalf of loved ones. We share challenges faced by two women who confronted this issue head-on when their same-sex partners were critically, and, in one case, fatally, injured.

In both cases, hospitals initially refused to recognize these women as next of kin; one woman endured years of legal battles in her struggle to win the right to care for her partner. The other testified about her heartrending experience before the Washington State Judiciary Committee, helping to inspire legislation regarding rights for visitation and end-of-life decisions on behalf of same-sex partners.

We seek to remind health care providers of the limitations of current laws and to inspire them to support change.