From Rachel Maddow:
The Background:
Last week, the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), held a one-sided hearing on contraception access, featuring an opening panel of five conservative men — and no one else. Democrats on the committee had invited a witness, Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke, but Issa refused to allow her to participate.
House Dems aren’t taking “no” for an answer.
In case it wasn’t already apparent how politicized women’s health has become on Capitol Hill, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday that a Democratic panel will meet this week to hear testimony from just one witness: Sandra Fluke, the woman who House Republicans refused to let testify at their hearing on the birth control rule last week.
Pelosi announced that the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee will meet Thursday at 10 a.m. to discuss women’s health. A senior Democratic aide said it is common practice for party leaders to use that committee to cast a spotlight on overtly political matters.
“We’ve used the Steering and Policy Committee as a place to highlight what the Republicans ARE NOT doing with their hearings,” the aide said in an email.
There was, however, an unexpected twist yesterday afternoon. The Democratic Steering & Policy Committee’s hearing will be held in the House Recording Studio, in order to help broadcast the event, except in this case, it won’t be seen by anyone outside the room. According to House Dems, the Republican-controlled Committee on House Administration has refused to allow the hearing to be televised.
In other words, the House GOP blocked Sandra Fluke from testifying at a hearing last week, and now they’re apparently blocking the public from hearing Sandra Fluke’s testimony at another hearing this week.
Is she referring to married women, or the college ‘party girl’ who sleeps with everyone she meets? So if it’s the latter, then were is the moral outrage in the discussion?
SA, in the first place, I would say that law students are probably not what you think of as a typical college ‘party girl.’ They are grown women who are at least age 22. Often they are older. Most law students don’t have time to be party girls or boys. They are serious academic students who have fought ferociously to be where they are in a highly competitive academic field.
Shall we talk about the typical college frat boy who sleeps with everyone he meets? Let’s be more accurate–tries to sleep with everyone he meets and is usually rejected because he is both an A-hole and is probably too drunk to get it up.
Here is a news flash. It doesn’t matter who adult women sleep with. It isn’t any of our business. Why on earth should I have moral outrage?
Did you listen to the video? You couldn’t have. Nothing she said was ‘party girl’ or would give rise to any moral outrage.
SA, I have to ask…..I think we are contemporaries, aren’t we? Did you or did you not come of age in the 60s or 70’s at the latest? Were you normal?
In the grand scheme of things you know it’s the girl who makes the final decision on having sex. Frat boys who sleep with everyone they meet involves a girl (at least it did back in my day), so a girl is still involved in that discussion also. As far as the last question, I was in the navy, so you figure it out. The point is she doesn’t give any background about those she is referring to, and you are assuming they are all adults, but maybe not.
If they are at Georgetown University it is a pretty sure thing she is talking about adults. We aren’t talking about Doogie Howser.
Why are you trying to get MY goat and Elena’s goat by sounding like a caveman? Adult women have sex. There is nothing wrong with having sex. Only the foolish women don’t want to have protected sex.
She was really talking about health needs not sex.
Girls/women don’t always have a choice about sex, by the way. I had a friend in college who was slipped a roof and basically raped by most of the frat house at a fraternity party. The fraternity was shut down for several years over the incident. That, however, didn’t help her.
Come on, you know I only make comments to get your dander up and get some discussion going. It would be a boring day if everyone agreed to every posting you made. I guess I did my job, but one last comment before I go to work. Referring to the high cost of contraceptives, birth control pills stop pregnancy, not STDs. A low cost condom is more effective at preventing STD transfer, and so this issue of women’s’ health may be more about pregnancy than health, unless she spends $3,000 a year on condoms ; ) Ok, got to run.
You did it very well. I told Elena that I was certain you were trying to get out goats. However, I am taking all this very seriously because of the laws that legislatures all over the country are trying to make. I thought the bulk of this crap was over 40 years ago.
You make a valid point about stds. However, it isn’t all about sex. Different people use contraceptives of all types for different reasons. As for birth control use, one size doesn’t fit all, pardon the pun. Not everyone can use hormonal BC, other people are allergic to latex, etc. It isn’t our place, an employer’s place or the govt’s place to decide this personal issue for any person.
SA, I didn’t comment on the navy. 😈
SA, you have endeared yourself, now you have actually admitted you enjoy jerking my chain. Contrats on a job really well done!
SA,
On my way back from dropping my kids off at the bus stop, I recieved a call (7:45 am)from Moonhowler. She was telling me that she had done something really evil, she had called ALL you men “toads”. I replied “really, that was evil?” I thought, given the comments she read, it was really quite tame. I won’t repeat what I said WOULD have been truly evil.
So you succeeded in first riling her up, and then by doing so, riling me as I listened to her rage about you 😉
Let me add on a more serious note, I feel like I am some kind of Seinfeld Bizzaro World episode. Discussing why it is important for women to have easy and affordable access to birth control is not a conversation that we should be having in 2012. My rational moderate republican commentors, like you, are getting sucked into a discussion that requires knowledge about the female body. A bunch of men, sitting around discussing health issues, as it relates to the female reproductive system would be like watching men accuse women of being witches, both are based on ignorance.
It isn’t your business to decide what form of birth control women choose and WHY they choose. That insurance pays for medication so men can get an erection and the CATHOLIC church included that medication in their coverage provides the proof for the utter hyprocricy for all to see. So men can have the sex but women can’t prevent the pregancy? What effing century are we in and why are YOU, SA, even getting sucked into arguing any of this insanity?
Lets start this suggestion, all you men must be required to have a course on the reproductive systems of women before YOU take the leap into telling how our individual health needs can be met.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2y8dYwq01g
@Elena
But, we’re not. You have the right to any treatment you and your healthcare provider agree on and that you can afford. Pay for it yourself and show us how empowered you women really are.
While the church would prefer you or any woman not use BC they ain’t firing women that do so.. They just don’t want to pay for it.
I 100% side with you that women can use whatever BC methods (aside from abortion) they want but I draw the line at paying for it.
Its pay me now or pay me later. When people have no health coverage who really pay in the long run? You do.
Every time someone walks off and doesn’t pay a hospital bill, those of us who do have health insurance get a little upwards nudge. Ever wonder why you pay ten bucks for a tylenol 3? Hospital cost. You are paying for yours plus many other peoples.
People who don’t use birth control are called parents. If they don’t have enough money to pay for all their own needs and the needs of their child, they get support from the government. Who pays for that? You do.
Doesn’t it now make more sense to have everyone part of the health care system and everyone using contraception?
Marinm,
The compromise was that they did not have to pay for it. I still stay, you tread on dangerous ground when you allow employers, base on their religious beliefs, the right to deny full coverage.
Marinm,
Did you listen to what this woman shared? BC is not just about sex, how many times do I have to keep saying this?!
So, when you need to have a procedure called an ablation, how much BS paperwork do these employees of a catholic instituion have to go through? Marinm, I hate to continue to sound like I am “educating” you, but you, along with most men know NOTHING about how the uterus and ovaries work.
http://women.webmd.com/endometrial-ablation-16200
If the employer doesn’t want to cover it they should not be mandated to do so. This is not about women’s health or reproductive rights to me.
So, go on “educating me” because it’s not material. This is about who pays for what and should the govt be able to violate the First Amendment.
Again, I have ZERO issue with women having access to drugs or surgical options but if the employer doesn’t cover it — they [the employee — male OR female] ought to pay.
@marin, do you think any employer should pay health care benefits?
I think it’s an incentive to attract talent.
Just had lunch with my girlfriend. She is recently divorced, no health care. Right before her insurance ran out she had a procedure done. Well, the insurcance companies will not ensure her now. She is hoping a year of being healthy will suffice so she can at least get catosrophic health insurance. She could not afford COBRA.
She lives on a shoe string budget now with her kids. EVERY penny is critical. I don’t know what/if any repercussions she has from this past issue. But to suggest that because she is a woman, and should therefore be denied treatment if needed is the worst kind of meanness Marinm.
How about you give up your insurance for awhile and then see how it feels to be in someone elses shoes, shoes that have a medical necessity that can’t be filled because of someone elses religion.
If you don’t believe in health insurance for all, then argue that point. Most people who argue about denying health coverage are usually enjoying the benefits thereof!
“She lives on a shoe string budget now with her kids. EVERY penny is critical. I don’t know what/if any repercussions she has from this past issue. But to suggest that because she is a woman, and should therefore be denied treatment if needed is the worst kind of meanness Marinm.”
How the heck did you come up with that??
“How about you give up your insurance for awhile and then see how it feels to be in someone elses shoes, shoes that have a medical necessity that can’t be filled because of someone elses religion.”
My job terminates on 27 MAR and I’m looking at COBRA to act as a bridge until I find new employment. So your wish is granted.
@marin,
I thought you were going fed? Does COBRA still go up significantly? I can remember 25 years or so ago my husband sorta kinda lost a job. They were all fired as employees and became contractors. They lost their health care but got to use COBRA. It was based on age and ours was over $1000 bucks a month…that was a chunk of change back then.
I hope that isn’t happening to you. I bought a catastrophic plan for 3 months. I had my own health care but I couldn’t add anyone except during open time.
@Moon-howler
That’s still the plan so that’s why I’m not TOO worried but the speed of government and the speed at which a consulting company closes it’s books on employees when a contract terminates are two entirely different speeds. 🙂
I think my COBRA will be $1200/month?
Hoping to only have to pay 1 month but we shall see how things work out…. Life isn’t easy at times!
My group plan for 1 person is $535. Age and location do not affect it. If you threw in a spouse and kids on mine it might be even more than yours. It ain’t cheap, that’s for sure. The question becomes, what on earth to people do who don’t have an extra $535 or $1200 lying around? Throw that in to being out of work, like some people are…its impossible. That is one reason I am willing to do a few things I don’t like so that everyone has access to health care. Sometimes people just don’t have a choice.
Did the feds close the contract with your company or was did it just expire?
The Administration has chosen to insource and to anoint new federales. The idea behind that is that the govt will save money.
In the short term that’s accurate in the long term its going to be crazy expensive. Govt math tends to look only at salary vs. contract bill rate. They don’t take into account the govt benefits package……….
I’m still trying to understand how I’m “mean”.
@marin, did I put the mean hat on you again?
Give me context. When will you find out about the contract?
Negative. Look at 18 above. Still trying to noodle that one myself.
I figure I’ll take time during unemployment to visit my better halfs family in Ohio. Her grandmother hasn’t seen the babies yet and we’d like to do that before she passes.
@marin, that is about the only thing I have been innocent about today.
Do you have lots of leads? You will land something quickly.