Ask Bun Bun - Circe's Advice Column

"The new law requires employers to offer insurance that includes contraception and abortion for employees or risk fines.

The government says the contraception mandate benefits women and their role in society."

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I am offended that someone wants to control whether I can choose to be a babymaker or not.

I'm also offended that the governemnt feels that my "role in society" is affected by whether I have this choice or not.

That was the way things were. This new law- from what I see- is addressing the reality that women can get pregnant, and offers them insurance regardless of their choice. That means that- before this law- employers had the right to deny pregnant women insurance. Denying them now would mean that they risk fines if their case for doing so doesn't hold up in court; fair game.

Implying that a woman's role in society is determined by their birthgiving is not entirely wrong.

It is the assumption that birthing is their only role in society that is fallacious and outright disrespectful.

Because- let's face it- if women didn't give birth, there would be no society at all, nor a human race.

Asides from tactless wording- I do not see the problem here.

Ya know, that reminds of this time when my parents and I were in the car on the way to somewhere (my dad listens to talk radio) and this one caller (ethnicity unclear) went rambling on and on how "her" views are that men work and pay all the bills, while the woman stays home and pops out babies and raises them. She doesn't believe that women should be in the work force, since to her, those women are stealing jobs for men who need them to provide for their own wife and kids. When she was questioned by the radio host about her own home and family, she revealed that she was in a relationship with a man for the past 14 years, not married, but living together and with no children.....

[align=justify][color=green][font=verdana]I don't see how this can cause offence. They've given women protection against scrupulous employers who would use a pregnancy against an employee - let's face it, an employer would rather have a man working for them who couldn't get pregnant than a women who could, and thus, get maternity leave. If a woman was pregnant and wanted an abortion but was not allowed one on insurance, then they might be forced out of employment.

Plus, it is also highlighting an increasingly secular legal system - which is always good.

Yup.

whatever that may mean

@PumpJack Employers could not deny pregnant women health insurance. They could deny ways to *prevent* a woman from getting pregnant (contraception) and also deny ways for a woman to terminate a pregnancy (abortion). But they can't discriminate against a woman just because she is with child. That is not a "pre-existing condition", lol.

@Looky For America, that sounds about right. Practicing what you preach is apparently the most difficult thing ever.

@Sam My offense was, as Jack suggested, more at the wording of the article, than the topic itself. It was about a company that didn't want to have to provide contraceptives and abortion to women at their company, as it is against their beliefs. So I guess my offense was just at the company speaking in the article, not the law.

And I was implying that many women lead normal, functional lives after having a baby. Many women's lives do not change, they continue to be the bread winner, or continue working, or continue school, or whatever it is that they were doing. Many do not. But many do. So that line about the government saying that my role changes dependent on if I decide to or not to become a mother irritates me.

I have no idea what's going on here because I know nothing about women.

I'll just throw in the egiptian "Farewell Law" in here.

I don't like law.

They can do it without the law anyway.

Hey Melfice how harsh is Germany with its laws?

banging their dead wives?

@Shanzy:
I never came into conflict with it, so I dont really know...

Never met a policeman eh?

Yeah, I mean if you wake up and your wife is dead in bed next to you, what's to stop you from giving her one last bang before you call the ambulance?

in my eyes thats disgusting...allowed or not

@ shanzy: not one on duty

Oh, I agree, it's gross. But in respect to necrophiliacs, they might enjoy it. I also don't like eggs, but many people do and I have no interest in stopping the consumption of them.

but if someone is a necrophiliac what is he doing w/ an alive wife?

Oh Brian. How I love that jolly good fellow.

Maybe she was almost dead? Idk, lol...