Hospitals Ordered to Grant Same-Sex Visitation Rights

From Air Force One last night, President Obama put in a call to Janice Langbehn, who was kept out of a Florida hospital while her lesbian partner of 18 years was dying. Their four adopted children weren't allowed in either. The President told Langbehn he'd ordered new rules at hospitals that use Medicare and Medicaid. Rights activists called the order welcome, but say it was too long in coming. The Family Research Council calls it “pandering to a radical special interest group” that undermines the institution of marriage. Sheryl Gay Stolberg is White House correspondent for the New York Times.