Thursday, October 03, 2013

First post in today's "War on Women Thursday." Let's start with Christian hypocrisy shall we?

Courtesy of the ACLU: 

Today, we filed suit in federal court on behalf of Jennifer Maudlin, a single mother who was fired when her employer learned that she was pregnant. Jennifer's employer – a religiously-affiliated community organization called Inside Out – says that it fired Jennifer for violating its unwritten rule against non-marital sex. 

What happened to Jennifer amounts to discrimination based on pregnancy status and gender. Why? Because Inside Out learned about its workers' sexual lives by looking at its women workers' bellies. In fact, Jennifer and other women workers who became pregnant had to hide their bellies for as long as possible because they were terrified of being found out and fired. Unmarried men who had sex, and even those who became fathers, had nothing to fear, because – of course – their bellies wouldn't give them away. In Jennifer's workplace, pregnancy became a "scarlet letter," marking unmarried employees for termination. 

The treatment of women workers at Inside Out also subjects women workers to mistreatment based on sex stereotypes. When a person can be thrown out of work because she decides to – or must – take on motherhood alone, what are we as a society saying about her? That she's unworthy of any further association with her coworkers? That she's unfit to participate in economic life? That she doesn't deserve to be able to eat, or pay rent, or buy gas? 

Add to that the effects of such discrimination on the children. At least half of children growing up in the U.S. today will spend some if not all of their childhoods in a single-parent family. Single parent families have the highest poverty rate in the country, and the highest rate of lacking health insurance – which in the U.S. is usually provided by an employer. We'd be kidding ourselves to think that employment discrimination against single mothers leaves kids unharmed.

So let's get this straight. 

These are the same people who stand on street corners waving pictures of shredded fetuses and attempting to shame every woman walking into a family planning clinic by screaming "Murder" at them. And yet when that young lady is an employee and they feel her pregnancy reflect poorly on their "holier than thou" image, they have no qualms about saying "Pack your shit slut, you are out of here!"

Gotta love those Christian values.

If they were really Pro-Life they would do everything they could to help their female employees get whatever services they would to make sure the baby is born healthy and that he or she is well cared for after they were born.

You know like any caring human being who was not being directed by ancient superstitions would do.

17 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:21 AM

    Right on Gryphen! It is crazy hypocrisy and it seems to know no bounds with some of these folks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sally in MI3:32 AM

    Exactly. They practically force women to 'keep the baby,' and then slap them down for 'getting pregnant, you slut.' Meanwhile, nowhere in any of these bills or laws or unwreitten workplace rules is one bit of recrimination for the men who also participated in the blessed event. Nowhere is there an 'unwritten rule' against men having premarital sex. Oh, and nowhere is there someone trying to also take away contraception and basic health services from men. Because Eve and apples and sin and self-righteousness rule. In 2013. In 'this exceptional country.' If only.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:44 AM

      We are navigating a slippery slope with all these 'unwritten rules,' which in nature are misogynistic, arbitrary and capricious.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:43 AM

      They are pushing us back into the days of "the Jungle"! Emplyors want to look at your facebook page, tell you what kind of HC to get (One without birthcontrol or abortion) and pay the least that they can...and work the shit out of you. This congress is trying to undermine unions, Labor boards all for their corporate masters.
      I hope she sues the shit out of them for discrimination but the baggers are trying to make it hard to sue any corp for discrimination or what not. These baggers have totally ruined this country.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous5:46 AM

      What is a "unwritten rule"?
      ?????
      Bullshit. I hope she sues the living shit out of these bastards!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous3:51 AM

    Yup. If you read the comments on a lot of news stories you get angry finger wagging "so they shouldn't be having sex if they don't what to get pregnant." But a woman has to have sex with a man for that to happen- so if we women all keep our knees together you guys'll have to start doing it exclusively with each other.

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  4. Anonymous4:21 AM

    Women must be punished for having sex. It says so in the bible. No birth control, no women's health care and no abortion.

    But men can have Viagra. So who should those men have sex with?

    SNARK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Mel68

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  5. Anonymous4:43 AM

    To think many of their married male employees also too engage in extramarital sexual congress, they too would be spared firing, because they don't have vagina's.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous4:44 AM

    Shouldn't they be congratulating her for keeping the baby??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:45 AM

      Anonymous4:44 AM

      Shouldn't they be congratulating her for keeping the baby??
      *****
      You would think?
      Unless it is the "big bosses" baby! Then that's why they are getting rid of her. Can't wait until she blabs all about this company!

      Delete
    2. Anita Winecooler5:38 PM

      They should congratulate her for having a baby. What if she decides to have the baby then put it up for adoption.?It's her choice to make.
      I wonder if the unwritten rule applies to women who chose to give a child up for adoption? Isn't that acceptable to "christians"?

      Delete
  7. Anonymous6:39 AM

    It's just against women. I heard of one instance where the woman had gone trough this very long hiring process . Background checks homeland security check . and she told them she was pregnant and they wouldn't hire her. Another case a company told a newly hired woman if she got pregnant, that they would terminate her. These are the same Co who don't want you to be able to have birth control, and they don't want you to get pregnant either. So you can see they really don't want to hire woman at all. It's all stupid hypocritical. I was listening to a radio station where they were advertising Viagra where men could get at 1/3 the cost. .They can get it on Medicare, but women can't have birth control

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous8:52 AM

    Removing oneself from public used to be the norm for pregnant women back in the 'good old days,' whether it was from school or work. I got married, dropped out of college, lied to get a job which I had to quit 4 months later. I felt lucky that tent dresses and high-waist dresses were in style making it possible to hide my 'bump' until the 6th month. I had thoroughly internalized the societal values and felt overwhelming embarrassment and shame. It never occurred to me that it was discrimination. There was a definite sense that pregnancy was a medical condition that interfered with work demands and required a woman to assume the homemaker role. These were the days some women got back-alley abortions or maimed themselves. Some could afford to travel to New York or CA where abortion was legal. Some went into hiding and gave the babies up for adoption.

    We mustn't go back.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:56 AM

    If this is such a zealous Bible thumping company, why can't she claim the "immaculate conception" defense? They fell for it once...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:58 AM

    Griffin: Can I post a petition from MoveOn.org on your website?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous10:29 AM

    Nuts like this cover their ass but I do hope she has a good case.

    Bristol could be like the girl in the above image. That is if she didn't pop already or get an abortion. http://www.sodahead.com/living/bristol-palin-guess-who-turned-19/question-3810905/

    Did she quit playing she has a job in Anchorage? What kind of work does she do now? She must be busy and often seen around town if she is Nanny to other children. Is she getting along with Sunny now? She is a day school teacher, similar to Bristol. They have so much in common. Tripp would love to get together with hoards of kids and his two mothers. He loves that bounce joint.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anita Winecooler5:18 PM

    I love the "unwritten rule" defense! I wonder if she claims an angel came to her and announced she'd become pregnant without being married nor having sex if they'd change their minds?
    It's worth a shot! But my hope is they lose their case and their "get out of paying taxes free" card.

    ReplyDelete

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