My last blog was on Hobby Lobby taking their case to the Supreme Court. HL feels it should not be forced to cover birth control pills for their employees. Apparently it is ok for HL to cover Viagra. Now the plot got sicker: HL’s 401K was found to invest in pharmaceuticals making the pills. Hobby Lobby has a right to their beliefs. I wish they were consistent, fair and logical, though.
Women also have a right to choose how they seek to be healthy. They may still buy the pills, even over the counter and generic. Women also may choose how and where they work, which is a significant factor in their health… and in our society’s health. It is an unquestioned fact that women’s choices of livelihood have a major impact on men and children as well.
If they choose to stay home and be a homemaker, good on them… and us. The number of stay-home moms has gone up for the first time in a while. Sadly, some consider this to be a step backward in the “liberation” of women. They may be righteously outraged that Congress voted down equal pay for women. And I agree it is an outrage. If a woman chooses to work outside the home it is her right. Our society should value and support her choice. To cheat her out of fair pay for her labor is a crime against her and our society.
So, neither staying home nor working is good or bad. The best for society is to support women’s freedom to choose. Each home has different needs. And, with poverty, intellectual and material depleting our resources, we must factor in the growing disparities between the poor and the rich. Not to pay someone their just wages exacerbates this trend.
The core of the matter is Balance. To continue to fight about what is more important, Capital or Labor is folly. Both must respect each other and seek a Balance. In health we call that “Homeostasis.” The very symbol of the Medical profession, the Caduceus, is a Hermetic symbol of Balance. Doctors and all Health Care professionals must be vigilant in society’s issues that threaten its health.