Saturday, April 17, 2010

what if it were someone you loved?

(one step at a t ime)

I can't remember much about the years of physical and emotional abuse my brother, Eamon, suffered. The thing I do remember though, quite literally, is blood on his school shirt when he came home in the afternoon. The beatings and taunting were very frequent for him and a constant part of his school years.

Intolerance is not genetically encoded—it is taught. It is learned at home. It is learned in the classrooms and it is learned anywhere else we gather as a group. Bullying is torture, it is another betrayal of basic human decency and its scars reach into the future of its survivors.

~ Colin Farrell ~

President Obama ordered hospitals to allow same sex partners access to their beloved who are in in-patient treatment. How many good reasons can you think of for that happening?

Let's see...

...common humanity

...basic decency

...why not?

...and good medicine

That's right. What medical personnel don't know that people heal better and faster when surrounded by those they love? (That doesn't even bring into play the issue of stress impeding healing due to separation and no access.) And if those personnel don't know it--they have no business being in the profession (in my not so humble opinion).

A basic human right is now on the books. Thanks, Barry.

3 comments:

Carrie Wilson Link said...

: )

Deb Shucka said...

I was so happy to hear this news, although I'm still wondering why it is that these rights are being doled out in dribs and drabs.

graceonline said...

Dribs and drabs--hopefully they help the recalcitrant get used to the idea so one day we can all participate in society as equals, no one ever having to hide part of their identity to keep their job, enjoy their family's love, rightfully receive their full share of their partner's retirement benefits and/or estate in a community property state such as California, or hold their darling's hand through a medical crisis.