From Preserve Marriage Washington, which is asking Washingtonians to Reject R-74:

In a television ad which began airing on Friday, a mother shares the story of her daughter’s struggle to care for her dying same-sex partner, saying that after her daughter’s domestic partner suffered a seizure, hospital staff refused to telephone her daughter because they were not married. There is only one problem: that is not an accurate depiction of the law, says Preserve Marriage Washington, the statewide grassroots coalition committed to protecting the traditional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

According to the melodramatic ad, “One night in the hospital Cheryl had a seizure, she was asking for Sarah and no one called. Only marriage guarantees that all couples can be there for each other when it really matters.”

Calling this a “pants on fire” misrepresentation, Preserve Marriage Washington Communications Director Chip White said, “This claim is a bold-faced lie.”

... As reported by the Seattle Post Intelligencer, “The Washington Legislature has approved a domestic partnership law that includes hospital visitation and an array of rights for same-sex couples. The ‘everything but marriage’ law won approval from the state’s voters in 2009.” (See http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/05/17/gov-walker-no-hospital-visitation-for-gay-couples/.)

“This ad is blatantly false,” said White. “Under Washington law, same-sex couples already have all the same legal rights and benefits as married couples, including the right to be with each other in the hospital. The law redefining marriage provides same-sex couples no additional rights or benefits because they already have full legal equality.”