Jami and Krista Contreras discussing the humiliation they felt at being turned away from a Michigan doctor.
New moms Jami and Krista Contreras brought their 6-day-old baby for a check-up with the pediatrician they'd interviewed months before she was born. But, when they arrived, they had an
unpleasant surprise:
But as Jami and Krista Contreras sat in the exam room, waiting to be seen for their newborn's first checkup, another pediatrician entered the room and delivered a major blow: The doctor they were hoping for had a change of heart. After "much prayer," she decided that she couldn't treat their baby because they are lesbians.
The couple say they were simultaneously in shock and humiliated, compounded by the fact the baby needed to be fed and they were stuck in the office when all they really wanted to do was run.
Dr. Vesna Roi has offered the couple an apology:
"Dear Jami & Krista, I am writing this letter of apology as I feel that it is important and necessary. I never meant to hurt either of you. After much prayer following your prenatal (visit), I felt that I would not be able to develop the personal patient doctor relationship that I normally do with my patients."
No word on why having two moms would prevent her from developing a meaningful relationship with a beautiful baby girl.
Although there is nothing illegal about what Dr. Roi did, one attorney is hoping that will change:
Attorney Dana Nessel, who is handling the Michigan same-sex marriage case that's about to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, believes the laws need to change. If not, she said, more families like the Contrerases will be mistreated by the medical profession.
The Contreras say they waited for months before deciding to come forward, ultimately deciding it is a conversation that has to be had for things to change.
See the thoughtful interview the Contreras did with the Detroit Free Press below:
For more community discussion, see librarisingnsf's diary here.
