Honestly…This does not seem fair at all. I found this vibe on http://www.madebig.com and I really wanted to share it with you because I think this is a real problem. Please give credit to the creator of this vibe by clicking on the link below and rating the vibe and giving them a High5 to show they did a great job.
MORE INSURANCE COMPANIES DOING BAD BUSINESS ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN.
Keeping Them Barefoot and Pregnant
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“If an insurance plan covers Rogaine for cosmetic male hair
loss, is it not only fair that it should cover prescription
birth control, which allows women to decide when and if they want
to face the serious health and lifestyle implications of pregnancy?
Union Pacific Railroad does not think so. The companies insurance
plan covers prescription drugs like Viagra and Rogaine affecting
mens sexual health and quality of life. Yet it does not cover
prescription contraceptives that allow women to enjoy sex while
deferring pregnancy. Retail costs for prescription oral contraceptives
run approximately $360 per year. So without coverage, women who
are struggling to make ends meet may be forced to turn to less
reliable methods of contraception and stand a greater chance
of getting pregnant. Sound like a double standard? Not according
to the Eighth Circuit, which held earlier this month in a discrimination
suit brought by female employees of child-bearing age that
Union Pacific’s plan did not violate Title VII, as amended by the
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). “
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“The PDA provides that women may not be treated differently
than men simply because of pregnancy or medical conditions “related
to” pregnancy. The ability to become pregnant is a condition
clearly “related to” pregnancy. Seemingly then, a plan covering
quality-of-life and preventative drugs for men but not covering
drugs designed to address similar health needs of women who are
able but do not wish to become pregnant would be discriminatory.
If Union Pacifics plan covers Viagra, it should cover drugs that
allow women to have sex without risking the health and lifestyle
changes that go with pregnancy. A slam dunk, you say. Well,
the district court judge sure thought so, and ruled in favor
of the employees. But on appeal, two conservative judges on the
Eighth Circuit got their mitts on this case and employed twisted
logic to argue that Union Pacifics health plan did not discriminate.
Bush II-appointee Raymond Gruender, joined by Reagan-appointee
Pasco Bowman, concluded contrary to the Supreme Court and common
sense that the PDA did not require Union Pacific to provide prescription
contraceptive coverage to its female employees.”
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“The majority speciously contended that the female employees in
this case were not protected by the PDA. According to the two
judges, the employees contraceptive use was not a condition “related
to” pregnancy because the use of contraceptives “is only indicated
prior to pregnancy” and “prevents pregnancy from even occurring.”
However, as Clinton-appointee Kermit Bye asserted in dissent,
the language of the PDA as interpreted by the Supreme Court reveals
that it was broadly intended to proscribe classifying employees
on the basis of childbearing capacity, whether or not they
were already pregnant. So the fact that contraceptive use occurs
prior to pregnancy, as the majority pointed out, is irrelevant
what matters is that the affected women are of childbearing capacity.
And the majoritys suggestion that the female employees in this
case are not protected by the PDA just because they are trying
to defer pregnancy makes no sense either imagine an employer
being able to deny promotions to women capable of getting pregnant
but who have chosen not to do so.”
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“The majority in this case further held that, even if the PDA
did cover women who wished to use contraceptives, Union Pacifics
plan was still nondiscriminatory because it excluded all contraceptives,
whether utilized by men or women. However, as Judge Bye pointed
out, the failure to cover contraceptives only medically affects
females, as they bear all of the health consequences of unplanned
pregnancies. … [E]ven if we were to look at its exclusion coverage
of vasectomies, the policy nonetheless discriminates against
females. … [A]s the record demonstrates, women are the only
gender which can become pregnant.”
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“And, Judge Bye observed, Union Pacific covered prescriptions
designed exclusively to treat mens health problems, but denied
women who might become pregnant coverage for prescription contraceptives
leaving them to less reliable birth control methods. Because
the insurance plan prevented these women from having sex without
the risk of “bear[ing] all the health consequences” of getting
pregnant while covering various medications designed to improve
mens lives the plan was discriminatory, according to Judge
Bye. The majoritys analysis is contrary to the intent of Congress
and to the precedent of the Supreme Court. This setback for gender
equity, written by a Bush II appointee and issuing from a court
dominated by Bush II appointees, is a stark reminder that,
of all his legacies, the judges appointed by President Bush
will have an impact on our everyday lives for years to come. But
at least we know that the male employees at Union Pacific are
well taken care of.” Standridge v. Union Pacific, No. 06-1706
(8th Cir., March 15, 2007)
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As I said before I was not the creator of this vibe and I would like to give full credit to the actual creator. Please click the link below which will take you to the vibe on www.madebig.com and give them a good rating and a high5.
Thank You
CLICK HERE to view vibe.
There are a lot of things on MadeBig that I love. I want to show you the BrainTrust part of the site. You can ask and answer questions about anything there. Here is one of my questions about family and how to deal with them.
CLICK HERE to see my question.
The MarketPlace is a great section of the site as well. You can buy and sell things there and you don’t pay with money. You earn MB Coins on other sections of the site by doing stuff like answering questions in the BrainTrust and making vibes, etc…and you use those MB Coins to buy things. I have found tons of stuff that I’m so happy I got for free on there. Here is something really interesting I found for sale.
CLICK HERE to see jewelry.
If you would rather buy from a store than a person then there is a shopping section where you can search by sales price. I like that because I can know I’m getting a good price for something. Here is a list of some great jewelry for 25% off.
CLICK HERE to see list.
There are also pictures, blogs, forums, a local listing business section where you can rate and review businesses for coins and sometimes find great coupons, and a lotto game where you can win coins. It takes up most of my computer time just playing around on the site. Check it out, see if it’s something you will like. Have fun!