Nearly all hospitals receiving Federal funding will be required to extend visitation rights to the partners of gay men and lesbians and respect patients' choices about who may make critical health-care decisions for them, after President Obama issued an executive order on April 15. The Washington Post called it “perhaps the most significant step so far in his efforts to expand the rights of gay Americans”.

The Post said that Obama had been touched by the experience of a lesbian couple in Florida, Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, who had four adopted special-needs children. When Ms Pond collapsed in February 2007 with a cerebral aneurysm the ward clerk refused to allow Ms Langbehn to see her even though she was the health-care proxy. Her sister and brother-in-law were allowed in. Ms Pond died a few hours later without her partner and children by her side. The President rang Ms Langbehn from Air Force One as his decision was being sent to the media.

But was the tragic tale true? What received very little coverage was the fact that the hospital where this incident happened has “vehemently” denied Ms Langbehn’s account. A judge also dismissed her lawsuit against the hospital.

“The most important piece of information to consider from our side of this story is that the charge nurse on duty the night Ms. Pond was in our care – and the person who made all visitation access decisions that evening – is herself a lesbian with a life partner. In addition, numerous members of the medical team working in our trauma unit are openly homosexual. We can assure you that Ms. Langbehn was not treated differently because of her sexual orientation.”

Although the executive order also covers childless widows and widowers and members of religious orders, it is clear that Obama was trying to score political points with the gay lobby. Foes of same-sex marriage fear that it will also undermine traditional marriage. A gay activist quoted by the Post supported that interpretation: "The General Accounting Office has identified 1,138 instances in federal law where marriage is important. We've knocked off one of them."