I have been employed as a community college professor for less than a year now. It's decent pay, it keeps the lights on and a roof over my head, but doesn't put much of a dent in my student and credit debt. The great thing about it though is that in addition to some great medical and dental benefits, I get paid sick days.
So for the past couple days my wife has been having some horrible nausea and stomach pains. Some vomiting, and she hasn't been able to eat or drink anything.
I want to take her to the doctor, but it would require me to cancel my classes, since I have kind of a long commute, and she is not convinced that it is all that serious, it might pass on its own.
So here is what I did today: I used a sick day and stayed home.
Yes, without a doubt this is erring on the side of caution. It might still turn out that whatever it is, is just temporary and will soon pass. But thanks to my job, taking a day off shouldn't be a problem at all.
Of course, there is a part of me that worried about what might happen if I had left her at home today. What if something happened, like she fainted, and nobody would be here for her. I can't imagine how guilty I would feel if something happened to her, when I could so easily have chosen to stay home. Sure, might be a very unlikely possibility, but I am grateful that I do not have to be put in the situation where I had to choose.
But being in this situation, I can't help thinking about all the people who do have to make that choice. They have to choose between caring for their loved one or staying home sick themselves, or going to work. Some people, the decision could be the difference between a serious medical condition, or keeping their job.
For many people, this is a constant worry. For some, they have to deal with the worst outcomes.
And I just can't reconcile that with the world in which we currently live. In a society like ours, people should not have to make the choice between their loved ones or their job.
Of course, we have seen some improvement thanks to Obamacare. But it's days like today that remind me that there is still so much left to strive for. We are one of the few countries that do not offer paid sick leave. If almost every other country treats paid sick leave like a general expectation of what it means to live and work in the 21st century, why do we still continue on like this?
Others may not feel that this is a proper framing, but this is how I see it: We are punishing our American workers.
Of course, when I say we, it goes without saying who I really mean. There are people in this country who do not want to expand these rights, because it affects things like their profits, or their PAC fundraising. But then they go so far as to portray these employees as being lazy, entitled, or deceptive, simply for the realities that human beings have to deal with sometimes. Things like paid sick leave, maternity and paternity leave, even something like having the time to visit loved ones in the hospice or hospital. I do not think it would be the end of our economic recovery to offer these to all hard-working Americans. Yet, that is how it is often portrayed.
These should not be luxuries, withheld from us like the food scraps taunting a mangy stray. Everybody, married, single, or in a same-sex relationship, should be able to take time off from work to seek treatment, and care for their loved ones, without fear of losing their job or being punished by their employer.
As a liberal, I do not feel like everyone has to agree with me on everything. But on something so paramount, it seems almost unforgivable to me that we live in such a society where such things are still enjoyed by so few.
I'm leaving now to take her to her doctor's appointment.
11:15 AM PT: Thank you for the well wishes everyone. We are home now and it does not appear to be anything serious. The doctor thinks it is likely a viral infection, and there is bloodwork being done to rule out anything serious. She has been able to eat and drink a little bit today, so the concern of dehydration is low. But again, I really appreciate the kind words.