On April 15, 2013 — five days before her wedding day — Laura Dietsch went to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold for symptoms of a heart attack.
She was later rushed to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, where as she went under the knife to have a cardiac stent placed, she told all of the surgeons that — when she made it through — they were invited to see her marry her partner of 15 years, Josephine.
"There was one time after my procedure [to place a stent], where the doctor explained that I had a small blockage, but he looked at Josephine and said 'she will be dancing at your wedding on Saturday.'," Dietsch said. "He could've directed his comments to my mother, to my aunt, who were both there, but he knew, I am getting married on Saturday, and he knew my partner was a woman and I wanted her involved."
Dietsch said that story summarizes why today's Supreme Court decision to strike down a law blocking benefits for same-sex couples is so important to her. She said it was important to have her partner involved in her health care decisions, and this decision paves the way for that.
The person who performed their ceremony, Rev. Jill Dillner from Englishtown, said she was very happy with today's decision. Dillner said she has performed same-sex unions for couples throughout Monmouth and Ocean Counties, including Point Pleasant.
"I remember years ago when I first began [performing civil unions for same-sex couples] I thought, it would be amazing to see this happen," Dillner said. "And now, here it is."
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