I feel that if an employer is aware of an employee's illness and fires him/her it is very unethical, lacking compassion, and cold-hearted. I believe there needs to be new laws set in place to protect the employees who are sick. Although I realize that some will take advantage of this, it is not fair to not provide protection to those who don't. Anyone can get sick at anytime. We all need to take that into account and not penalize each other for being sick.

Since this isn't a blog site... and what you are posting isn't a question, it's a rant,. so before it gets deleted.. if you have a question you better ask it.

You are not beholden to the employer and the employer isn't beholden to you. You are not a serf on a feudal estate, with no where to go. People quit jobs every day, leaving employers holding the bag and costing them the training and half their social security, all their workmen's comp and all the unemployment insurance.
In the US, the government steps in. If you are sick enough to be totally disabled, you apply for SSDI, and you can even collect it while working part time. You can apply for welfare, food stamps, Section 8 or HUD housing, SAGA, and even FEMA. If you tend to be sick a lot, you should look for jobs that pay low but have lots of sick time. You move in with family and double up roommates and tighten your belt financially. It may not be 'fair' that we get sick, but it's the breaks in a society that hovers between coddling everybody as socialists and a society with freedom to both succeed big and fail big without constraints and too many laws. The US is still supposedly capitalist. Employers have a tough enough time making a dollar vs China and India and South America. They shouldn't have to keep you on the books because you are sick, at least not for very long.

If you don't like getting rid of the habitually sick people... why don't you put your money where your mouth is and start your own business and tell every hypocondriac... come here and work for me... I'll never fire you.

See how long you manage to stay in business.

I bet when its YOUR money... you won't be claiming its unethical.

I know some bosses/owners may not be the best but I also feel that there are people who take advantage. Perhaps you were sick too often... or maybe you made too many excuses about being sick... or never could come up with doctors notes... I worked at a place where I was out for nearly 4 months due to an accident (not work related). The boss was a jerk and everyone hated him... but he kept my job open for me and let me come back when I was ready. The same place fired a guy because he was "sick" 5 or 6 times a month... It's all about how you are perceived... don't take advantage and you're usually OK.