# Way to do Iowa. Women's bodies are a sin and we men can't help ourselves.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [December 22, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851 "2012-12-22T17:41:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/41 "2012-12-23T06:44:05Z")
> [@Bricker](#):
>
> This sounds like the correct decision under Iowa law.
Yes, it is, but Iowa law is seriously fuck up.
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### Author:  [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/42 "2012-12-23T06:47:23Z")
I must admit, my initial reaction was “what the fucking hell?”
But then I realised that the US employment laws are a lot less strict. And that obviously leads to huge benefits overall, even for the unemployed. Yes, you can have a happy medium like UK employment laws, but even they cause huge problems for legit employers all the time. For example if an eight month pregnant woman interviews with you and she would be best for the job if she wasn’t pregnant, technically speaking you have to employ her or she can sue you **even if this will effectively destroy your business**. Insane!
So while I have a problem with this guy, I don’t think I have a problem with the laws unless anyone can think of a way of legislating against rubbish like this. I mean, you can technically outlaw any particular douchey act but douches always find a way of being douchey in another manner.
It isn’t fair to characterise the legal position as saying women bodies are a sin or anything like that btw. I accept that Islam and Christianity might put it that way, but a western person would definitely see this as this guy being the sinner, indeed let me state cearly: **There is no reasonable person who can look at the facts here and think anything other than the dentist is a twat. While I don’t wish ill on anyone’s business, I do think the greater good may be served by patients boycotting him to send a message to other douches.**
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### Author:  [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/43 "2012-12-23T06:50:25Z")
> [@even\_sven](#):
>
> Being a woman is a blast, isn’t it?
In an at will employment agreement a female employer could fire a male employee for the same reason, or for no reason at all.
People get fired all the time because the boss just doesn’t like them, because they are earning too much compared to a new employee that could replace them for less - lots of unfair reasons that don’t even take into consideration whether or not they are doing a good job.
It isn’t a blast workin’ for the man (or woman) but those are the terms we agree to when we accept at will employment.
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### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/44 "2012-12-23T06:54:40Z")
At least you aren’t crushed under the iron hell of some union thug!
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/45 "2012-12-23T07:16:06Z")
I think they are idiots. Yes, sexual harassment suits are a terrible problem in really small businesses where the owners, husband and wife, both work and one of the few other employees has an affair with one of them. The law says firing the employee is probably an illegal retaliation. But what are they supposed to do? Threesomes? Orgies. I think it is a problem for each jury to work out, not for a bunch of old blowhard judges to decide that nothing is wrong with retaliatory firing.
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/46 "2012-12-23T07:28:26Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> I think it is a problem for each jury to work out, not for a bunch of old blowhard judges to decide that nothing is wrong with retaliatory firing.
But that is the nature (and great unfairness) of at-will employment law. There does not have to be cause. The judge’s hands were tied by the law.
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/47 "2012-12-23T07:38:50Z")
No, you cannot sexually harass an employee and then fire them for giving in or not giving in, or anything related to it. Except in Iowa. Federal law prevents this in all but the smallest offices, so there may have been an exception here under Federal law due to the business size. In essence she was alleging that his texting her was soliciting sex and he fired her for refusing. Not the judges job to decide if that is true. As it is, Iowa is a national laughingstock.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/48 "2012-12-23T07:47:12Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> No, you cannot sexually harass an employee and then fire them for giving in or not giving in, or anything related to it. Except in Iowa. Federal law prevents this in all but the smallest offices, so there may have been an exception here under Federal law due to the business size. In essence she was alleging that his texting her was soliciting sex and he fired her for refusing. Not the judges job to decide if that is true. As it is, Iowa is a national laughingstock.
Have you even bothered to read the [judgement](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2012/images/12/21/11-1857.pdf). She specifically did not claim that she was harassed.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/49 "2012-12-23T09:43:36Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> Not according to his wife, apparently.
>
> ETA: seriously, why does everyone see “creepy old lech”, when it looks to me to be such a dire case of “spineless henpecked” ?
Because he’s the only man in the scenario, so he must be to blame.
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### Author:  [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/50 "2012-12-23T10:54:43Z")
> [@Kobal2](#):
>
> why does everyone see “creepy old lech”, when it looks to me to be such a dire case of “spineless henpecked” ?
Maybe because
> [@](#):
>
> he complained that her tight clothing was distracting, once telling her that if his pants were bulging that was a sign her clothes were too revealing, according to the opinion.
or
> [@](#):
>
> He also once allegedly remarked about her infrequent sex life by saying, “that’s like having a Lamborghini in the garage and never driving it.”
Those data point rather obviously towards, if not “creepy old leech”, at least someone who lets the head below his belt rather than the one above his head do his thinking type of loser. There are less evidence suggesting a “spineless henpecked” oh-so-oppressed-by-his wife type of loser
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### Author:  [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/51 "2012-12-23T11:43:35Z")
I’m gonna admit that I still just wanna see a picture of her. Just me?
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### Author:  [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/52 "2012-12-23T11:55:54Z")
I think it’s a dumb reason to fire her and it was even dumber for him to admit it. He should have given her a nice fat severance package and glowing recommendation and that should have been it. But yeah, ugliness/attractiveness is not a protected class, so there’s just not a good legal argument to be made.
It sounds like this guy was a real creep though saying things like not having sex for her is like keeping a nice car parked in a garage all the time.
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### Author:  [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/53 "2012-12-23T13:08:34Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#):
>
> It sounds like this guy was a real creep though saying things like not having sex for her is like keeping a nice car parked in a garage all the time.
Read the judgement, its not that creepy in the context it was said.
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### Author:  [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/54 "2012-12-23T13:19:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Nice freudian slip in the title. 😉
>
> There’s a GD thread to debate this. Not sure why a guy can’t fire someone for anything he wants, as long as that someone isn’t a legally protected class or some other protection the constitution offers. Hot chicks aren’t one, AFAIK.
What about promotions based on sucking dick? Would laws against that be an interference in the market?
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### Author:  [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/55 "2012-12-23T13:41:30Z")
Illegal? Maybe not.
Is he a first-class pussy-whipped douchebag that should be the laughing-stock of every town and family gathering for the next 20 years? Abso-fucking-lutely.
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/56 "2012-12-23T13:43:34Z")
> [@Steken](#):
>
> I’m gonna admit that I still just wanna see a picture of her. Just me?
That is really insensitive and inappropriate, you sexist creep. And no, it isn’t just you.
My bosses are husband and wife, and in years of working for them nothing like this has ever come up. What am I, chopped liver?
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### Author:  [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/57 "2012-12-23T14:18:03Z")
> [@SanVito](#):
>
> In my country, not only would this be a clear case of unfair dismissal, but the boss would also be subject to a harassment case for his comments to the girl. Thank god.
>
> Your country is fucked up.
I’m pretty sure Iowa isn’t a country.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/58 "2012-12-23T14:48:26Z")
He deserves to be boycotted. Stupid shit shouldn’t have hired her in the first place if he didn’t think he could control himself. And maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t want a husband that I felt couldn’t control himself around his staff.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/59 "2012-12-23T14:59:55Z")
Yeah, I’m waiting for a follow up that the couple are getting divorced. Either because the wife’s too controlling or the husband’s a wuss. (and now he blew his chances with the cute girl…)
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/way-to-do-iowa-womens-bodies-are-a-sin-and-we-men-cant-help-ourselves/644851/60 "2012-12-23T15:00:32Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#):
>
> What about promotions based on sucking dick? Would laws against that be an interference in the market?
Of course they wood.
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