FINALLY! Maryland's Domestic Partner Law Passes- here are some details

Finally- The Domestic Partner law passed in Maryland, and Tom and I will finally have some equal rights we've been missing out on, as have many others in Maryland. I understand the Churches fighting this- because they don't want straight un-married couples to shack up and not marry, but they can SOLVE that problem by allowing gay people to marry in civil unions. (I had a loooong discussion with the Catholic Church of Baltimore about this-- and they agreed it would solve the problem, but wouldn't allow it... just foolishness - and I'm very disappointed in them.). Anyway FOR FULL DETAILS ON THE NEW LAW: http://www.equalitymaryland.org/legislation/health_care_faq.htm

CALLED: Health Care Facility Visitation and Medical Decisions

What does this law do? This law extends 11 protections to domestic partners in Maryland. These rights include:

• Visitation in a health facility
• Sharing a room in a nursing home
• Private visits in a nursing home
• Visitation during emergency transport
• Medical decisions if the individual is incapacitated (and does not have a power of attorney for health care)
• Ability to petition health care providers when there is disagreement over certain medical decisions
• Consent to a post-mortem examination (autopsy)
• Organ donation
• Disposition of remains
• Access to disinternment or reinternment permits
• Designation as a person of interest in a burial site
• 
  
• What is a domestic partner? As defined in this law, a domestic partnership means a relationship between two people (straight or gay) who are at least 18 years old, are not related to one another, are not married or in a civil union or domestic partnership with someone else and agree to be in a relationship of mutual interdependence (meaning you contribute to the maintenance and support of each other and the relationship).
• ANSWERS How do we prove we are domestic partners? and more questions: http://www.equalitymaryland.org/legislation/health_care_faq.htm