By Sheryl Estrada
A 6-day-old baby girl named Bay Windsor Contreras arrived with her parents, Jami and Kristina Contreras, to Eastlake Pediatrics in Roseville, Mich., in October for her first check-up. Then the pediatrician, Dr. Vensa Roiwho was selected months priorrefused to provide services, as the newborn’s parents are a same-gender couple.
While waiting in an exam room, the mothers were told by another physician, Dr. Melinda Karam, that Roi, 49, would not be seeing them as it’s against her religious beliefs. Roi, who has been a practicing pediatrician for 19 years, at first agreed to be the infant’s doctor, but decided not to after “much prayer.”
“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 to MyFOXDetroit. “Dr. Karam told us [Dr. Roi] didn’t even come to the office that morning because she didn’t want to see us.”
The couple did not disclose the incident until February, when they decided to bring awareness to the plight and discrimination faced by the LGBT community and shared their story on social media.
“We want people to know that this is happening to families. This is really happening,” said Jami Contreras, 30, to the Detroit Free Press. “It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. … It’s just wrong.”
In a handwritten letter penned by Roi to the Contrerases dated Feb. 9, 2015, she explained why she refused service and apologized for not meeting with the couple personally to tell them so. She wrote:
“After much prayer following your prenatal, I felt that I would not be able to develop the personal patient-doctor relationship that I normally do with my patients. I felt that you deserved that type of relationship and I know you could get that with Dr. Karam. I found out Monday morning you were coming and I made the decision that it would be better for Dr. Karam to see Bay.
“I should have spoken with you directly that day,” she continued. “Please know that I believe God gives us free choice and I would never judge anyone based on what they do with that free choice.”
Roi’s refusal is not illegal in Michigan. Only 22 states currently have laws prohibiting doctors from discriminating based on sexual orientation.
“The regulation of medical professionals occurs at the state level and is governed by the directives of the local state Legislature,” said a spokesman for the American Medical Association.
The association’s “ethical opinions,” however, do discourage doctors from refusing care based on “race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other criteria that would constitute invidious discrimination.” But doctors can refuse to treat a patient if it’s incompatible with their personal, religious or moral beliefs, as in the case of Dr. Roi.
Based on the momentum gained in LGBT rights, it’s only a matter of time before it will be illegal in all states for physicians to discriminate.
In recent years, we’ve seen changes in LGBT rights from the rise of corporate same-gender-partner benefits for healthcare to legal same-gender marriages.
This month, Alabama became the 37th state to legalize same-gender marriage. Also, a Benton County judge ruled that a Washington state florist violated anti-discrimination and consumer-protection laws in refusing to sell flower arrangements for a same-gender wedding, which she claims she did for religious reasons. And the Supreme Court will decide, likely in late June, whether same-gender marriage is the law of the land nationwide.
The U.S. military has also taken measures against LGBT discrimination. Facilitated by President Barack Obama, in 2011 the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell“ rule was dismantled, allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. Also, new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Sunday that he supports transgender people in the military.
