Jezebel: Miscarriages

Would Your Job Fire You For Having A Miscarriage?

Moe — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:00:00 EDT

Well this is uplifting: a female lawyer was laid off by the big law firm Paul Hastings days after suffering a miscarriage because they didn't want her to get pregnant again. This sort of shit happens all the time in a lot of industries, of course, but in a firm whose specialty is employment law it's kind of outrageous, and the way the associate describes it going down in her angry farewell letter to the staff — called into the office a week after she'd been assured she'd get to stay; fired unceremoniously while a female mentor (with kids of her own) watched her break into tears — seems unduly harsh, so she decided to forgo the three month's severance in exchange for signing a non-disparagement agreement and unleash the thing upon the blogs. "If this response seems particularly emotional, perhaps an associate's emotional vulnerability after a recent miscarriage is a factor you should consider the next time you fire or lay someone off," she writes.

Also, it really isn't that emotional in light of the fact that a male employee of the firm killed himself and his ex-girlfriend, a Paul Hastings secretary, at the firm's Atlanta office.

Still, a lot of people would be way too wimpy to do this, and then we would never get a peg to discuss something I am always hearing so many fascinating stories about: the myriad ways they have of monitoring your reproductive endeavors and dicking you out of your maternity leave and/or your job altogether when you start to procreate. I've seen this happen pretty much everywhere I ever worked that didn't have a union, but usually by that time the targeted women have been so beaten-down and exhausted by trying to do everything at once that they're like, "Meh, fuck this" and they go freelance. Sigh. One more reason to content oneself with the spinster lifestyle I guess.

Breaking: A Dramatic Farewell (And Proof Of Paul Hastings Layoffs) [ATL]

Coffee Causes Miscarriage But Prevents Ovarian Cancer

Jessica — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST

Another day, another study about caffeine. Following yesterday's news that ingesting more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day can double the risk of miscarriage, today coffee is good for women! According to a new study, women who drink 3 or more cups of coffee a day are 20% less likely to develop ovarian cancer then their water drinking compatriots. The benefits of coffee when it comes to ovarian cancer increase even more if you have not taken the pill or had hormone replacement therapy. The drunks out there can rest easy, because the study showed no relationship between alcohol use and ovarian cancer, though depending on how much you smoke, you can be more susceptible to mucinous tumors, a rare form of ovarian cancer. And what kind of coffee are the Jezebels drinking? The results may shock you.

After a highly scientific poll we conducted on the coffee drinking habits of the Bleeding-Heart Bleeding-Sexed, Socially-Conscious Clive Owen-Worshiping Slobs out there shows that 30% of you make your own fancy-schmancy, highly caffeinated java at home. 20% of you are nancy tea drinkers, 13% of you like your Starbucks with even more juice, and 10% of you like your Starbucks the way God and the body-obsessed intended: with fake sugar.

We're still waiting on tomorrow's study that shows caffeine may cause us to grow a third eye, become a sex fiend, and eat babies. Until then we'll continue to drink enough coffee to drown a horse.

Drinking Coffee May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk: Study [Reuters]
Three Cups Of Coffee A Day 'Can Cut The Risk Of Ovarian Cancer'[Daily Mail]
Ovarian Cancer Risk Not Affected By Alcohol And Smoking, But Reduced By Caffeine [EurekAlert]

Earlier: Coffee Causes Miscarriage (Except When It Doesn't)
Rachael Ray On Dunkin Donuts Coffee: "What Is This Shit??"
The Jezebel Reader: Profile Of A Bleeding-Heart, Bleeding-Sexed, Socially-Conscious Clive Owen-Worshiping Slob