Patients will now be able to determine for themselves who can be at their bed side no matter the legal status of their relationship. Up til now gay couples were often separated during illness in hospital because there was no legal requirement to permit non-family members to visit. As ridiculous as that might sound, there are countless stories of gay men and lesbians being kept away from their partners because of their lack of recognized legal status as a couple. One would think there would be no need for this kind of rule to be established. How sad that this is the situation in a free and democratic society.