Spanish hospital sparks outrage after diagnosing woman with 'illness' of homosexuality

A Spanish hospital's gynecologist sparked outrage after reportedly diagnosing a patient as "homosexual."

A report from the Washington Post stated that case "sparked national outrage" and drew criticism from LGBTQ organizations and political leaders alike.

What are the details?

Alba Aragón said that she visited Hospital General Universitario Reina Sofía in Murcia, Spain, for her first-ever gynecology appointment on Oct. 4.

During the appointment, Aragón said she disclosed her sexual orientation as homosexual in order to provide her doctor, Dr. Eugenio López, with the most accurate details about her personal life.

"I told him that I was gay because I thought it would be an important fact at the time of prescribing any treatment or determining the diagnosis," Aragón, who was visiting for irregular and painful menstrual cycles, reasoned.

Aragón said that López even asked her permission to include her declaration of sexuality in her clinical file. She agreed, according to the outlet.

When the appointment concluded, however, she learned that her new doctor used the information to diagnose her with an "illness" of homosexuality.

Aragón, 19, said that she was fully aware of her sexual orientation by the age of 15 — and noted that while the diagnosis wasn't new to her, she did not believe it was appropriate for her medical records.

Nevertheless, the diagnosis on her chart reportedly read, "Current illness: Homosexual."

Aragón was furious.

"I thought it was incredible that up until this day, in the 21st century, these types of beliefs continue to exist," she marveled.

Aragón, along with a local LGBTQ activist group, opted to file a complaint with the local health department denouncing "LGBTIfobia" and "considering her sexual orientation an illness."

Aragón also demanded that any mention of homosexuality as an illness be redacted from all of her medical records and wants an apology from López and the hospital.

Has the doctor or hospital responded?

In a statement, López said that it was all a mistake.

"What can I do?" López said. "It was a huge slip-up. I'm a human being. I clicked the wrong button."

The hospital, according to the report, supported López's denial.

"The computer system offers a series of fields to fill out the report, and as the own specialist has said, he made a mistake when selecting the field where he put the word 'homosexuality,'" a spokesperson for the hospital told the outlet.

Anything else to know?

The Post reported that the hospital did, indeed, comply with Aragón's wishes and reportedly apologized to her for what it insisted was a misunderstanding.

"My intention is that it does not happen again with me nor [sic] with anyone else," she told the outlet.

A spokesperson for Murcia's Consejería de Salud, the local health department, told the Post that the hospital has opened an investigation into the incident.