1) A doctor in Michigan refused to treat a baby of a gay couple because of her religion.
2) A legislator wants to PREVENT people from being protected in their workplaces, schools and homes.
3) More anti-marriage legislation in states where gay marriage is already legal
Can SOMEONE please tell us why the conservatives feel it necessary to do this to a group of people?
1) DETROIT DOCTOR VENSA ROI REFUSES TREATMENT OF GAY COUPLE'S INFANT
Krista and Jami Contreras were married in Vermont in 2012.
In October 2014 they welcomed a beautiful baby Bay Windsor into the world and were quickly confronted with an ugly reality, one they say from a place they never expected. Instead of seeing Dr. Vensa Roi with whom they had an appointment, another doctor greeted them. The first thing Dr. Karam said was 'I'll be your doctor, I'll be seeing you today because Dr. Roi decided this morning that she prayed on it and she won't be able to care for Bay," Jami said. "Dr. Karam told us she didn't even come to the office that morning because she didn't want to see us."
According to USA Today: DECISION NOT ILLEGAL
Krista and Jami Contreras are not suing Roi. They concede that Roi did nothing illegal — which is precisely what they have a problem with: There are few laws on the books that protect the LGBT community from discrimination.
"It's a very scary thing," said attorney Dana Nessel, who has handled several discrimination cases involving the gay community, including the same-sex marriage case that's going to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in April. "We don't have special protections for LGBT individuals."
Currently, 22 states have laws that prohibit doctors from discriminating against someone based on their sexual orientation. Michigan is not one of these states. Michigan does have its own anti-discrimination law known as the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. But it doesn't cover LGBT individuals.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/28142401/doctor-refuses-treatment-of-same-sex-couples-baby
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/18/doctor-discrimination-baby/23642091/
BOTTOM LINE: People with any sense in their heads should Boycott Dr. Vesna Roi at Eastlake Pediatrics in Roseville, MI.and put her out of business. She is a disgrace to the Hippocratic oath.
WHAT DOES THIS "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" LAW ALLOW CHRISTIAN DOCTORS TO DO?
In Michigan, doctors can refuse to treat a gay person, or their children, citing religious freedoms. SO In states like Michigan, the Hippocratic Oath means that Christian doctors can refuse to save the lives of gay people and people of these faiths, Baha'i, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism.
WHAT DOES THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SAY?
The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics have taken a strong stance against this practice and have prohibited it in their ethics rules, which are only advisory.
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2) Senate GOP pushes bill to restrict spread of marriage equality
A group of Senate Republicans led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would seek to prevent the federal government from enforcing its definition of marriage in states that do not recognize marriage equality. Under the bill, same-sex spouses living in states that don't recognize their marriages would be barred from accessing federal benefits. "[W]e should reject attempts by the Obama administration to force same-sex marriage on all 50 states," Cruz said. CNN (2/11), LGBTQ Nation (2/11)
3) Kan. governor curtails workplace protections for LGBT state employees
Kansas
Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday rescinded an executive order that
protected state employees from discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity. Brownback denounced the original
directive, which was issued by then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in 2007, as
something that should have been done through legislation. "Any such
expansion of 'protected classes' should be done by the legislature and
not through unilateral action," Brownback said in a statement. LGBT
activists plan to protest the move at the state Capitol on Saturday. The Huffington Post
(2/10), MSNBC
(2/11), WIBW-TV (Topeka, Kan.)
(2/10), The Wichita Eagle (Kan.)
(2/12)4) Ark. lawmakers reportedly poised to pass anti-LGBT bill
Local governments in Arkansas would be barred from enacting LGBT anti-discrimination measures under a bill approved by the state Senate on Monday. The bill passed a House committee Wednesday and is set to be considered by the full House today. "It's crystal clear that the motivation for this bill is to stifle local efforts to advance equality for LGBT Arkansans," said Kendra Johnson, director of HRC Arkansas. BuzzFeed (2/11), The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/The Associated Press (2/9)
