Care, hospital visit ordinance for same-sex partners pushed

A legislator in Cebu City has filed an ordinance recognizing the right to care and hospital visitation rights of same-sex partners in hospitals and facilities within the city. It also aims to ensure their participation in decision-making in the absence of relatives.

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The proposed ordinance, authored by Councilor Michelle Cellona, is primarily anchored on the provisions of Republic Act No. 9710, or the Magna Carta of Women, which enshrines the right to nondiscrimination in the delivery of health services.

The proposed measure also cited Republic Act No. 11313, or the Safe Spaces Act, which protects individuals against gender-based discrimination in both public and private spaces.

Cellona said it is just as necessary that through this ordinance, Cebu City shall uphold its recognition as a center of inclusivity and health reform.

She added that the proposal was born out of many cases wherein lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) patients are confined in hospitals without immediate blood relatives.