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The American Fertility Association Blog
Who Decides Who Should Be a Parent?
August 21, 2008 - Thursday
Posted by BrianA
Who Decides Who Should Be a Parent?
Shocked. Disbelief. Appalled. Amazed. Furious. These are just a few of the emotions that I experienced when I read one of my patients explanation of insurance benefits who is an employee of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama. “Benefits for fertility treatment and ART are limited to a lifetime maximum payment of $30,000.00. Good news! She has excellent coverage. But as I read on, “Effective January 1, 2008, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama requests that Blue Cross and Blue Shield exclude domestic partners (same sex partners) from ART benefits including diagnostic services related to fertility/infertility that have a fertility or infertility diagnosis”. Why would an employer exclude a specific segment of the population from fulfilling their dream and a basic inherent human right of having a family?
As one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers and a company on the leading edge of technology, how can Honda be so backward in providing healthcare benefits? Clearly, this is discrimination! They claim to be an “Equal Opportunity Employer”, and therefore claim to conform to the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978. This act prohibits discriminating for or against employees or applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability, as well as attributes or conduct that do not adversely affect employee performance, such as marital status and political affiliation. The Office of Personnel Management has interpreted this to include sexual orientation, as well. Clearly, they are not in compliance! Why do they feel they own the power to decide who should or should not be a parent? Are they going to stamp sexual orientation on the insurance cards?
Interestingly, two other related issues hit the news media this week. The California Supreme Court reached a unanimous verdict that physicians cannot use their religious beliefs as grounds to deny infertility treatment to gay and lesbian patients. And, singer Ricky Martin announced the birth of twin sons that were born with the assistance of a gestational surrogate.
Perhaps Honda would benefit from reading the news and sticking to making cars instead of being judge and jury for those who want to be parents.
Karen R. Hammond, MSN, CRNP
-Secretary and Past Chair, AFA Board of Directors
-Ob/Gyn Nurse Practitioner, Alabama Fertility Specialists
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“Fags Like You”
August 20, 2008 - Wednesday
Posted by Lisa
I’ve been the help line coordinator for The AFA for three years now, people call me for support and information when they need help. I’m happy to be the voice that they hear when they need to reach out and connect with a person who understands. I think I bring compassion to my job; I hope so.
For what it’s worth, I’m also a heterosexual woman, I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter and a nutty puppy named Cooper. I guess you would say we’re a typical family.
But the man on the phone today, the anonymous angry voice who yelled at me for ten seconds and then hung up without any interest in my response, didn’t know any of that. This man told me that he holds a blue cross blue shield insurance policy and he is thrilled with Honda’s discriminatory stand against LGBT patients. He said to me, “We have to do everything we can to stop FAGS LIKE YOU from having families.”
He has a right to voice his opinion, but I wish he had done it with the benefit of his full name, without screaming, and without assumptions. It never occurred to him, I guess, that straight people might feel differently than he does. He made me afraid to do my job today. That kind of fanaticism is scary about any issue. It’s the kind of fanaticism that makes people fly planes into buildings. I wish it didn’t have an effect on me, but it did.
Best always,
Lisa Van Ness
Development Associate
The AFA
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Reassurance The AFA is Changing and Improving Lives
August 20, 2008 - Wednesday
Posted by Lisa
Reassurance We ARE Changing Lives
So, I’m sitting in the office Tuesday morning and the phone rings. Little do I know, this call is about to be re-assurance that The AFA’s advocacy in action is making a HUGE difference. The woman on the other end asks if I can fill her in on the Honda discrimination. I explain Honda Manufacturing of Alabama has decided to take it upon itself to deny assisted reproductive technology medical insurance coverage to its gay and lesbian workers. The exclusion went into effect January 1st of this year (which, by the way, also bans coverage for diagnostics!). She then tells me there’s a buzz going around the Honda plant, where her friend works. Turns out that friend is her domestic partner and the two desperately want the restriction lifted, because they one day may want to start a family, using donor semen. I proceed to ask her if she’s read the press release we had just put out early this morning. She knew nothing about that. Her only reason for the call was to say Thank You to The AFA!
My point is that we created a buzz. We warned management at Honda’s corporate level about our concern. We gave them a week and a half to respond to our letter or lift the restriction; they did neither! So, here we are! We’re making a difference in peoples’ lives. We’re fighting for all-inclusive human rights. It’s sickening to think that a corporation of that magnitude would deny insurance coverage to a certain segment of its employees, because management doesn’t agree with their personal orientation. What’s next? Will Honda start docking the pay of those who drive Toyotas or Nissans? Come on. Honda created a mess, The AFA told the world about it through thousands of national and international media outlets, and now it’s time for Honda Alabama President Hiroshi Sasamoto to grab a broom, step forward, and clean up this filthy mess.
The impact of this advocacy work has been miraculous. Motor Trend, NY Times, LA Times, Forbes, Reuters, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX…and the list goes on. They’ve all picked it up and hopefully now Honda will step up!
Read the press release and Take Action on our homepage at www.theafa.org.
Cheers!
Brian Armentrout
Communications Director
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The AFA asks Honda to change its discriminatory practices.
August 19, 2008 - Tuesday
Posted by Lisa
Today, The AFA sent out a press release regarding Honda Manufacturing of Alabama. The upshot is that Honda has issued a request to its health insurance provider, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, asking that they specifically “...exclude domestic partners (same-sex partners) from Assisted Reproductive Technology benefits including diagnostic services related to fertility/infertility that have a fertility or infertility diagnosis.”
As I said in a letter to our membership today:
“ We are dismayed that Honda Manufacturing of Alabama would take a stance that can only be described as discriminatory and anti-family, denying gay and lesbian couples ART benefits that they otherwise would have been able to access. As we said when we reached out to Honda nearly a month ago, asking for a meeting to discuss their policy, we stand ready to work with them to ensure fair and equal treatment for all their employees who desire to create a family. Honda has yet to respond to our requests.”
There is an all-out assault on reproductive freedom in this country, from the Bush administration attempting to classify certain types of contraception as abortion, to the legislature in Colorado proposing an amendment to the state constitution that would legally define personhood beginning at the moment of conception, to individual companies denying ART benefits on the basis of sexual orientation. We stand together, or we don’t stand at all. It’s that simple.
We need your help: take action by writing a letter or calling Honda. Read the press release and forward it to everyone you know. Make a donation to help support our work.
Thank you,
Ken Mosesian
Acting Executive Director
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The AFA Trumps Google in Employee Satisfaction
August 14, 2008 - Thursday
Posted by Lisa
The other day I was talking to Ken Mosesian on the phone – not an unusual occurrence because even within a small egalitarian organization like The AFA , Ken’s my boss. He’s the COO and Acting Executive Director. Feel free to be impressed, he deserves it. Anyway, my daughter called my cell while I was talking strategy with Ken and I put him on hold. For a while. Didn’t even think about it, and he was totally cool with it, no problem. Later on that day, I got to thinking about this and remembered an old job I had once, before I was a mom, at a different non profit – I remember that once my boss overheard me tell the receptionist that I would only take calls during a meeting from my mom and from my then husband. My boss? She was not happy. What a difference now, in my life. I am SO lucky.
So when I read a NY Times article about Google, I got to thinking. Google practically doubled the rate of their on site day care for employees this year. Did you know that? It’s really awful. When they made the announcement, their employees wept openly. Now, keep in mind, Google is considered one of Fortune 500’s Best Companies to Work For. But right now, only the top VP’s at Google can afford to keep their children in on site day care there. We’re talking about babies that range in age from three months to five years old.
SO not fair. So wrong. So typical of the way U.S. businesses, big and small, treat the whole concept of family, and employee. I’ve often thought that quality time should pertain to the time you spend at work and quantity time should pertain to the time you spend with your family – your kids, your aging parents, the ones you love who need you.
We at The AFA strive to support people to have kids. So it’s not a reach for us to really care about the quality of the life you will have once you’re a mommy or a daddy. It’s important to us. We at The AFA are so lucky – we have created a virtual environment of lunatic, optimistic, over achievers who work crazy hours, but from home. We wanted to be home to raise the children that we so desperately wished to conceive. Not all of us are parents, but all of us are passionate about family. Trust me, it’s not easier. But it sure the hell is better.
Plus, I get to wear bunny slippers during meetings.
I think Google could learn a thing or two from us.
Best always,
Corey Whelan
Director of Development
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