Tuesday, August 19, 2008

It's Another Win

California's highest court has made its second major decision advancing gay rights by prohibiting doctors from invoking their own personal religious beliefs on their patients.
The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that denying treatment to gay men and lesbians is in clear violation of current state laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation:

"The 1st Amendment's right to the free exercise of religion does not exempt defendant physicians here from conforming their conduct to the . . . antidiscrimination requirements," Justice Joyce L. Kennard wrote for the court.

The decision stemmed from a lawsuit filed lesbian who lives with her partner and wanted to become pregnant with donated sperm. The doctor had said he didn't want to help them get pregnant because it went against his beliefs. We talked a lot about the case on the show. Congrats to the moms and all Californians!