Today's episode of Monkey Court! featured Secretary Kathleen Sebelius struggling not to reach over a table and get in the face of stupid Republican representatives. After over 3 hours of grilling, North Carolina shill Rep. Renee 'I Need My Paycheck So Screw You' Ellmers dished up this little bit of lovely, asking Sec. Sebelius why men had to pay for maternity coverage when they don't deliver babies.

She summed it up by stating that "we're forcing them to buy coverage for things they will never need."

Last time I looked, men are half of the equation when it comes to how babies are made, Rep. Ellmers. They may not be the one in the hospital delivering that 7 or 8 pound bundle of joy, but they're responsible for it being there.

As to the question of paying for coverage for things that aren't needed by a particular insured, let's talk about Viagra, vasectomies, prostate cancer treatments, and other male-specific health issues which aren't "things women will ever need." For my entire adult lifetime, I have paid for those. While I've had some resentment over the Viagra, it was mostly related to the fact that I had to pay full price for birth control pills because no health plan would cover those. But the others? I want men to have access to lifesaving preventive care and treatments because it's good for everyone!

I realize Rep. Ellmers is playing to her base, but anyone who thinks maternity benefits are unnecessary for men because they don't deliver the kid is either deluded or stupid. Possibly both.