Good morning!

With all the talk about Akin’s disturbing, out of touch, ignorant “legitimate rape” comment ( Thanks you /SB for broaching this topic- I did read it yesterday morning), I thought that I would post this today.

This isn’t the first time I have heard of a woman who was required to marry her rapist. But this young girl, after telling her mother that she was being beaten by her rapist/future husband, decided to take rat poison and kill herself.

And like the stories I posted the other day that were not given much media attention, stories such as this one, do not get much attention either. So, I am bringing it to light.

16-year-old Amina Filali Who Was Forced To Marry Her Rapist, Commits Suicide

March 14, 2012 · By itsbits

16-year-old Amina committed suicide last Saturday after being forced to marry her rapist.

Under Moroccan law, any man who rapes a minor will be forgiven of all charges, as long as they marry their victim. Last year, Amina was walking the street when she was accosted and raped by a man who was 10 years her senior. When she finally reported the incident, their parents agreed to a marriage to protect her family honor.

After submitting to the marriage, Amina confided to her mother that she was subjected to violent beatings from her husband; her mom simply asked her to be more patient. As a final resort to escape her violent marriage, Amina injested rat poison and ended her life.

With a huge public outrage, the victim’s father, Lahcen Filali told reporters that the marriage was suggested by the court officials, “The prosecutor advised my daughter to marry, he said ‘go and make the marriage contract.”

An online petition has been formed to call an end to Article 475 of the Moroccan code which reinforces the practice of marrying rapists and their victims.

*****

Readers: Ya know, Todd Akin would probably tell the young girl Amina, to “shut that whole thing down”, marry the man and get over it. I would like to see how Todd Akin, would react if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got raped in that virgin (?) ass of his. How would he feel? How would he like it if someone said to him, “Well…c’mon just shut it down. I know your ass is sore and you feel violated but really, just go to that part of your brain and shut it down. Forget about it.” Easy right?

Not so easy – that I am sure of. I could go on and on getting into the dirty details of rape, and try to paint a not so pretty picture for Mr. Akin to visualize. But I am not so sure I could do that. I probably couldn’t paint a picture so horrific as it truly is because I have never been raped, thankfully. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine the horror of what it must be like to live through such a violation. Nor would I ever say anything off the cuff  when it comes to rape using the expression “legitimate” rape as if to imply there were any such a thing as “illegitimate rape”.

So I will give the floor to Eve Ensler, a rape survivor, who can talk from experience…and who will have no problem getting Mr. Akin to imagine…

Dear Mr. Akin, I Want You to Imagine…

Dear Todd Akin,

I am writing to you tonight about rape. It is 2 AM and I am unable to sleep here in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am in Bukavu at the City of Joy to serve and support and work with hundreds, thousands of women who have been raped and violated and tortured from this ceaseless war for minerals fought on their bodies.

I am in Congo but I could be writing this from anywhere in the United States, South Africa, Britain, Egypt, India, Philippines, most college campuses in America. I could be writing from any city or town or village where over half a billion women on the planet are raped in their lifetime.

Mr. Akin, your words have kept me awake.

As a rape survivor, I am reeling from your recent statement where you said you misspoke when you said that women do not get pregnant from legitimate rape, and that you were speaking “off the cuff.”

Clarification. You didn’t make some glib throw away remark. You made a very specific ignorant statement clearly indicating you have no awareness of what it means to be raped. And not a casual statement, but one made with the intention of legislating the experience of women who have been raped. Perhaps more terrifying: it was a window into the psyche of the GOP.

You used the expression “legitimate” rape as if to imply there were such a thing as “illegitimate” rape. Let me try to explain to you what that does to the minds, hearts and souls of the millions of women on this planet who experience rape. It is a form of re-rape. The underlying assumption of your statement is that women and their experiences are not to be trusted. That their understanding of rape must be qualified by some higher, wiser authority. It delegitimizes and undermines and belittles the horror, invasion, desecration they experienced. It makes them feel as alone and powerless as they did at the moment of rape.

When you, Paul Ryan and 225 of your fellow co-sponsors play with words around rape suggesting only “forcible” rape be treated seriously as if all rapes weren’t forcible, it brings back a flood of memories of the way the rapists played with us in the act of being raped — intimidating us, threatening us,muting us. Your playing with words like “forcible” and “legitimate” is playing with our souls which have been shattered by unwanted penises shoving into us, ripping our flesh, our vaginas, our consciousness, our confidence, our pride, our futures.

Now you want to say that you misspoke when you said that a legitimate rape couldn’t get us pregnant. Did you honestly believe that rape sperm is different than love sperm, that some mysterious religious process occurs and rape sperm self-destructs due to its evilcontent? Or, were you implying that women and their bodies are somehow responsible for rejecting legitimate rape sperm, once again putting the onus on us? It would seem you were saying that getting pregnant after a rape would indicate it was not a “legitimate” rape.

Here’s what I want you to do. I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are on your bed or up against a wall or locked in a small suffocating space. Imagine being tied up there and imagine some aggressive, indifferent, insane stranger friend or relative ripping off your clothes and entering your body — the most personal, sacred, private part of your body — and violently, hatefully forcing themself into you so that you are ripped apart. Then imagine that stranger’s sperm shooting into you and filling you and you can’t get it out. It is growing something in you. Imagine you have no idea what that life will even consist of, spiritually made in hate, not knowing the mental or health background of the rapist.

Then imagine a person comes along, a person who has never had that experience of rape, and that person tells you, you have no choice but to keep that product of rape growing in you against your will and when it is born it has the face of your rapist, the face of the person who has essentially destroyed your being and you will have to look at the face every day of your life and you will be judged harshly if you cannot love that face.

I don’t know if you can imagine any of this (leadership actually requires this kind of compassion), but if you are willing to go to the depth of this darkness, you will quickly understand that there is NO ONE WHO CAN MAKE THAT CHOICE to have or not have the baby, but the person carrying that baby herself.

I have spent much time with mothers who have given birth to children who are the product of rape. I have watched how tortured they are wrestling with their hate and anger, trying not to project that onto their child.

I am asking you and the GOP to get out of my body, out of my vagina, my womb, to get out of all of our bodies. These are not your decisions to make. These are not your words to define.

Why don’t you spend your time ending rape rather than redefining it? Spend your energy going after those perpetrators who so easily destroy women rather than parsing out manipulative language that minimizes their destruction.

And by the way you’ve just given millions of women a very good reason to make sure you never get elected again, and an insanely good reason to rise.

#ReasonToRise

Eve Ensler
Bukavu, Congo

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Unfortunately there are others out there besides Akin who feel the way he does. Sickening but true.

Many years ago I knew of a woman from design school that was raped when she was very young. Years later in therapy she discovered who her rapist was when she began to have flashbacks of him. When she finally confessed it to her parents, her father told her to put it out of her mind and forget about it. And I have to say, her mother who was “lock step” (that’s a nod to you Sabrina) pretty much said the same same thing. And yes, they are republicans and no doubt still holding onto their twisted moralic ways and bad mouthing our beloved man in the white house.

(Yes, in case you didn’t notice, I just made up a word. It’s been awhile since I have delved into that pleasure, but it flew into my brain, so here it is: Morals + Moronic = Moralic)

I will end with a by adding to /SB’s comment last night: We women have the numbers when we vote en masse –  If women don’t shut down the republican party strictly from our majority body count, we can expect that the republican party will shut down women’s bodies and try to throw us back into the dark ages.

Remember this…If men (not all) could do what is done to women in so many parts of the world, lay down crazy laws such as the one I just posted above from Morocco, and try to control us and our bodies, believe me, don’t ever doubt for a minute that they wouldn’t.

Zen Lill: I knew I would get a laugh out of you.

Wills: Well said.

Радка: Thanks to you and all the Girlz of Bulgaria. All the good luck you can send is appreciated. I am certainly doing my best. Let’s HOPE it’s good enough. 

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

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Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good Monday morning!

Sometime last week I think I said that I would have more to post about Paul Ryan. This write was pointed out to me. I found the info to be of value, so I decided to post it.

Paul Ryan represents political dark age

Robert B. Reich

Published 1:05 p.m., Saturday, August 18, 2012

Paul Ryan espouses 19th century social Darwinism - reward the rich, penalize the poor, and the rest are on their own. Photo: Jeff Swensen, Getty Images / SF

Mitt Romney‘s chosen running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, is the reverse of Sarah Palin. She was all right-wing flash without much substance. He’s all right-wing substance without much flash.

Ryan is not a firebrand. He’s not smarmy. He doesn’t ooze contempt for opponents or ridicule those who disagree with him. In style and tone, he doesn’t even sound like an ideologue – until you listen to what he has to say.

It’s here, in Ryan’s views and policy judgments, that we find the true ideologue. More than any other politician today, Ryan exemplifies the social Darwinism at the core of today’s Republican Party: Reward the rich, penalize the poor, let everyone else fend for themselves.

Dog eat dog.

Ryan’s views are crystallized in the budget he produced for House Republicans in March as chairman of the Budget Committee. That budget would cut $3.3 trillion from low-income programs over the next decade. The biggest cuts would be in Medicaid, which provides health care for the nation’s poor – they would force states to drop coverage for an estimated 14 million to 27 million low-income people, according to an Urban Institute estimate.

Ryan’s budget also would reduce food stamps for poor families by 17 percent ($135 billion) over the decade, leading to a significant increase in hunger – particularly among children. It also would reduce housing assistance, job training and Pell Grants for college tuition.

In all, 62 percent of the budget cuts proposed by Ryan would come from low-income programs.

The Ryan plan also would turn Medicare into vouchers whose value could not possibly keep up with rising health care costs – thereby shifting those costs to seniors.

At the same time, Ryan would provide a substantial tax cut to the very rich, who already take home an almost unprecedented share of the nation’s total income. Today’s 400 richest Americans have more wealth than the bottom 150 million of us put together.

Ryan’s views are pure social Darwinism. As William Graham Sumner, the progenitor of social Darwinism in America, put it in the 1880s: “Civilization has a simple choice.” It’s either “liberty, inequality, survival of the fittest” or “non-liberty, equality, survival of the unfittest. The former carries society forward and favors all its best members; the latter carries society downwards and favors all its worst members.”

Is this Romney’s view as well?

Some believe Romney chose Ryan solely to drum up enthusiasm on the right. Since most Americans have already made up their minds about whom they’ll vote for, and the polls show Americans highly polarized – an almost equal number support Romney as President Obama – the winner will be determined by how many on either side take the trouble to vote. So in picking Ryan, Romney is motivating his right-wing base to get to the polls and pull everyone else they can along with them.

But there’s reason to believe Romney also agrees with Ryan’s social Darwinism. Although Romney has carefully avoided specifics in his own economic plan, he has said he’s “very supportive” of Ryan’s budget plan: “It’s a bold and exciting effort … an excellent piece of work and very much needed … very consistent with what I put out earlier.”

At the same time, Romney wants to permanently extend the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy, reduce corporate income taxes and eliminate the estate tax. These tax reductions would increase the incomes of people earning more than $1 million a year by an average of $295,874 annually, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Oh, did I mention that Romney and Ryan also want to repeal Obama’s health care law, leaving 50 million Americans without health insurance?

Social Darwinism offered a moral justification for the wild inequities and social cruelties of the late 19th century. It also undermined all efforts to build a more broadly based prosperity and rescue our democracy from the tight grip of a very few at the top. It was used by the privileged and powerful to convince everyone else that government shouldn’t do much of anything.

Not until the 20th century did America reject social Darwinism.

We created a large middle class that became the engine of our economy and our democracy. We built safety nets to catch Americans who fell downward, often through no fault of their own.

We taxed the rich and invested in public goods – public schools, public universities, public transportation, public parks, public health – that made us all better off.

In short, we rejected the notion that each of us is on our own in a competitive contest for survival.

By choosing Ryan, Romney has raised for the nation the starkest of choices: Do we want to return to that earlier time, or are we willing and able to move forward – toward a democracy and an economy that works for us all?

******

And if that’s not enough proof, here’s more from Think Progress:

*****

Readers: We keep talking about Ryan…and we’re going to keep talking about him because there is just so much to say….so much that needs to be revealed and illuminated. I’m HOPEing he’ll keep opening his mouth, along with Romney, the media will continue to disclose these LSOS’s, and people will realize that the Romney-Ryan ticket is not the ticket you want to mark come November.

Claire: ZL was correct – you needed attention and you got it. Now here’s more. I don’t consider my comment an “assault” on you. I was just responding to you. You are the one that said my blog sucks. I just suggested that you give it a try or go elsewhere. I now recommend the latter strongly since you repeated that my blog sucks and now you think I suck too. Well…let me tell you…I do suck and I’m damn good at it. How is that for a little “cohesiveness”?

Sabrina: All I want to say is that I got a kick out of your statement: “I am white but I don’t do lock step.”

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

A continuation of yesterday. While Obama clearly cares about women, the repubs renew the war on women. I am posting this specifically for the girls out there who are in support of that repub Romney. If you care about your health and the health of your mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, nieces…you’ll be smart and vote for Obama in November.

Republicans Renew War on Women

Starting today, critical women’s preventive health services will be available to women, free of co-pays or deductibles — a hard-fought benefit for women in Nevada and across the country that is long overdue.

Yet on the eve of the implementation of these historic benefits for women, my Republican colleagues were still trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act — the very law that offers these benefits along with many other crucial protections for women.

Beginning today, for the first time, new insurance plans will be required to cover — without any co-pays — well-woman visits, contraception, breastfeeding support and supplies, screening for gestational diabetes, screening and counseling for domestic violence, as well as testing for HPV and HIV.

An estimated 47 million women nationwide, including nearly 400,000 women in my home state of Nevada, are expected to benefit from this new policy.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, new insurance plans are already required to cover preventive care like mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure checks, prenatal exams and childhood immunizations without cost-sharing. Yet Republicans are so intent on blocking women’s preventive services like contraception coverage from taking effect, they are willing to risk national security.

Yesterday, the Republican leader proposed voting to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act , a move that threatened to derail the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 — legislation that is critical to our national security and completely unrelated to health care.

Covering preventive health services for women is long overdue. While women are more likely to need preventive health services, they often have less ability to pay for them than men. On average, women have lower incomes, and a greater share of their salary is consumed by out-of-pocket health costs.

Half the women in this country have delayed preventive care because of price tags, according to the Commonwealth Fund. Millions of American women delay doctor’s visits, yearly, because they can’t cover co-pays, or miss pills to save money.

It is no wonder the U.S. has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy of industrialized countries.

That is why, fifteen years ago, I began a bipartisan initiative with Senator Olympia Snowe to expand access to contraception for women. As part of this effort, we passed a law that gave federal employees access to contraception. When this policy took effect in 1999, despite the warnings of our critics, premiums did not go up.

Yet what began as a bipartisan, commonsense proposal fifteen years ago has turned into an unfortunate debate in Congress. Many of my Republican colleagues are downplaying the importance of covering preventing health care for women, or trying to repeal health reform altogether.

They’ve blocked efforts to give women who want it, access to contraception, and they’ve shown little interest in protecting the health of victims of sexual assault.

Putting ideology ahead of science is inexplicable.

I will continue doing everything I can to protect a woman’s right to health care. Today’s implementation of new women’s preventive benefits is just the beginning.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, by 2014, almost 19 million uninsured women will be eligible for comprehensive health coverage, women may no longer be charged more for the same policy as men, and women cannot be denied coverage because they have a pre-existing condition.

Asking American women to continue denying themselves the care they need is unacceptable. Only by focusing on America’s best interest, rather than our own political interests, will we have a stronger, healthier future together.

*******

Readers: Just to make it easy reading for everyone, as Scott suggested (Thanks Scott!), when you are responding or referring to someone please include their “name” and the “number” of their comment. Thanks.

Lloyd, Trent, BC, et al: Thank you for your in the moment comments. I was shocked to read what you wrote when I finally did read them. I am assuming and HOPEing that all of you are still alive and safe. My condolences to the families and friends of those that were killed. This is just horrifying.

I read the write on HuffPO – Once again, I am sickened and saddened by what is happening in this world.

The Oak Creek shooting was the latest in a series of suburban U.S. gun rampages. Organizations fighting gun violence rate Wisconsin’s gun safety laws from low to moderate. There are no limits on the number of firearms that can be purchased at one time, nor on the possession or transfer of assault weapons, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Tracy: Yes, it is definitely a “testament to the dedication…”. I am amazed and grateful. 

Blog Biz: Just to let you know, on Sundays I post around 11:00 AM. This gives me time on a Sunday to just relax in the morning if I choose. And since I am pretty consistent with the time, you, my readers, won’t expect my blog to post anytime earlier. However, sometimes I write early if I’ve want, but schedule it to post at 11:00. That is the reason why I did not make a comment before I posted yesterday. I actually finished my write at around 9:30 AM and scheduled it to post at 11:00 AM. I  was not on my blog at all after 9:30.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Well, first things first…I had it on my calendar on the 3rd as a reminder to myself but hey…what can I say, I still missed it. So…HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY OBAMA!…our beloved President. I forgot to wish him yesterday but I am sending him belated birthday wishes today. I have never felt such admiration toward any president in the past, as I do our current president. My only wish for him is that he gets re-elected in November. Are you with me?

Speaking of Obama…August 1st marked a very important day for women’s healthcare:

No co-pay on some women’s health services

As part of the federal health care legislation, insurers will now have to cover eight kinds of women’s services – everything from contraception to domestic violence counseling – without charging co-payments, deductibles or any other cost to the patient.

But don’t put the wallet away yet.

Because the change applies only to plans issued on or after Wednesday, most women will not immediately be able to go to their local drugstore to pick up their birth control or go to a doctor for a checkup without having to pay. They’ll have to wait until their policy renews, which for many with employer-backed plans is Jan. 1, 2013.

Standardizing policy

Health advocates welcomed the coverage expansion, calling it good for U.S. health care.

“We’re moving toward some standardization that as a country we think is good health and good public policy,” said Heather Saunders Estes, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Shasta Pacific, a region that includes San Francisco. “We don’t want to make it hard for people to get preventive care.”

About 47 million women nationwide – more than 5 million in California – are in health plans that must cover these new preventive services at no charge, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A few plans will not have to comply with the new rules. Health plans that existed before March 23, 2010, and have not substantially changed will be “grandfathered in” and do not have to offer the benefits free of charge under the federal law unless they lose that status. And some plans may be exempted from the contraception requirement for religious reasons.

The new changes may have a less dramatic impact in California than in other states because California already required health insurance policies to cover many of these services in advance of the federal law.

Co-pay rule new for state

State law for more than a dozen years has required those California health plans that provide coverage for prescription drugs to also cover a variety of prescription contraceptive methods approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The big difference for Californians is that health consumers now will no longer have to pay a co-payment or contribute toward their deductible to get contraception or these other preventive services.

“In talking with women about the importance of the new law, I’ve heard from some who have had to skip filling their prescriptions because they could not afford the co-pay,” state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said in a statement. “This new benefit makes a tangible difference in the lives of women.”

California health insurers have supported this element of the federal health law, saying that providing cancer screenings or other preventive services without co-payments can save money down the line.

Investing in prevention

“Whatever the views in other parts of the country, California health plans have a positive view toward the small investment in prevention compared to the large cost of treating serious disease when diagnosed too late,” said Patrick Johnston, chief executive officer of the California Association of Health Plans.

Johnston said some California insurers and employers have beaten the federal government to the punch. “Many plans, as well as some large employers, have emphasized free prevention as a way to head off more expensive treatment,” he said.

That said, the issue of covering contraception became a heated issue earlier this year. In a compromise, the federal government exempted churches, other houses of worship, and similar organizations from covering contraception on the basis of their religious objections. Non-exempted religious institutions have another year to comply.

*****

Readers: Women make up 52% of this country. We have the power girls. If you’ve got a good, smart head on your shoulders you know that Obama has your best interest at heart. Hmm…let’s see…he was raised by women and is the only man in his family of four.  I think he gets women and we know he supports them. Now Romney…how many sons does he have? Enough said. There is no reason to vote for Romney.

If you want more info click here. (Thanks for the above article mom!)

So wha’at’s up with you?? Blog me. Happy Sunday everyone!

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

I realize that in this day and age, we all need to be very conscious of the choices we make. We all need to look at what we’re eating…what’s going in these precious bodies of ours. So we read labels of the food we plan to eat. And just the other day we all got into a discourse about the toxic “ingredients” found in clothing made in China, and how it affects our health. And it doesn’t end there.

Now with the election only a few months away, we really need to be conscious of the products and services that we use that support the party that we want to support, and more importantly to not buy products and services that support the party that we don’t want to support.

Awhile ago, I found out that Lifelock supported Rush Limbaugh by continuing to advertise on his show even after all the horrible things Limbaugh said with respect to Sandra Fluke. I cancelled but they owed me money. Now that my money has been refunded, I told them exactly why I left their company.

By now you all know what side of the fence I support. Here’s a short write that I found that exposes the consumer brands that help bankroll right-wing attack ads.

A Guide To Consumer Brands Helping Bankroll Right-Wing Attack Ads

Have you eaten at White Castle recently? Or caught a movie at Regal Cinemas?

If so, you may be unwittingly helping finance right-wing attack ads.

That’s because many of the country’s most common brands are run by rich conservatives who are using their personal wealth to bankroll outside spending groups that are running attack ads smearing progressives. From Marriott Hotels to Brawny paper towels, and from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Coachella music festival, corporate executives at these organizations have given millions of dollars to groups like Mitt Romney’s Super PAC Restore Our Future.

Some corporations, like Waffle House, give direct donations to conservative attack ad groups like Karl Rove’s American Crossroads.

The following list of consumer brands either have leaders who wrote checks to outside right-wing attack ad groups or gave money directly from the corporation. Only entities that gave $25,000 or more were included in this guide.

******

Readers: I know that making choices is not always easy, but I am so grateful that we do have them. Blog me.

Ruth (The Ruth with Harris and the girls):  You have made several comments in the past few weeks, I think. And I think it was you who made a comment about Steve Harvey’s book, but I am not totally sure.  Most of the time I can tell it is you, especially if you address me. Perhaps like some of the other regulars, you can make your name unique with an added moniker? Only if you feel comfortable. As always, love seeing you here. Hugs to you, Harris and the girls.

Peace out peeps. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"