Visceral Reaction to Being Female as a Pre-Existing Condition

 

I have to confess that initially I thought that Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to SCOTUS would help Democrats.  I really felt that Republicans tolerated Trump only for his potential to fill the Court and once that was exhausted that they would move on.  

After all, I believe that there is no chance in hell that Roe vs Wade will ever be overturned.  

Well, I was right and I was wrong.  Roe vs Wade will never be overturned, however, it will experience death by a thousand paper cuts.  Tiny little aspects of a woman's right to choose are going to be eroded gradually essentially gutting it.  

And, there are going to be other threats to basic human rights that are potential to suffer the same slow fate.  I was doing what I usually do on Sundays, watch the news.  An amazing couple were interviewed.  These men were the couple whose case went to the Supreme Court resulting in Same Sex Marriage Equality.  I was very moved watching them because they were not only intelligent and passionate, but they were adorable. They also live in Kentucky where their Senators are Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.  Can you even imagine?  

From that issue, the news cycle then focused on Obama Care/The Affordable Care Act.  Quite frankly, I have been blessed with great health care throughout my life.  Anytime I have needed health care, I have never hesitated to access it so I can't relate to debating in your mind whether you can afford being treated.  I will be forever grateful for the compassionate and excellent care that my father received at end of life. My mother had a few hic-cups in her health care experience in her last few years of life so I know our system is not perfect but overall it is pretty remarkable.  

From watching the news, I learned that in the US, being female is considered a "pre-existing condition" meaning that health care insurance companies can deny you insurance just because you are female. In Canada, we have a thing called the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms where we do not allow discrimination on the basis of gender.  Yet, this discriminatory practice of not providing health care insurance to those who are female still exists in the US.  Mind boggling.  Then, they interviewed a woman who had been employed with the same company for over 20 continuous years and enjoyed health care insurance co-paid by herself and her employer.  Then, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her health care insurance company then decided to rescind her policy because she had not declared to them that she had been treated for acne when she was 14 years old.  Not only did she now have no health care insurance to deal with her cancer, she was presented with a huge bill that covered her last 20 years of medical care.  

I had a profound visceral reaction.  Anger.  Sorrow.  I don't know what.  My body just reacted.  And I made a post on facebook without even thinking.  It has been brought to my attention that my comment could be characterized as me being transphobic. I am horrified.  Horrified.  

I am not going to say, "some of friends are trans" or something stupid that would just dig me in a bigger.  

I am so sincerely sorry for any offence I caused.  I know better and I will do better.  I apologize.  

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