A selection of news pieces.
Watching the news can be quite traumatic at times and should come with a public health warning. That said, there are on occasions stories which show human resilience, strength and humour in the face of adversity. I thought I would share some of the stories with you that have had a profound effect on me, both Good and Bad.
THE GOOD
Let us start with the good and the good people of Ireland that recently voted overwhelmingly to overturn the archaic 8th amendment that bans abortion there.
A law that prohibits abortion no matter how a woman becomes pregnant. And as we all know there are different ways in which a woman can get pregnant. She can get pregnant while in a loving relationship, as a result of a consensual, one night stand. And a woman can get pregnant as a direct consequence of being raped.
Once pregnant, there are numerous reasons why a woman may contemplate a termination. Not a decision any woman under any circumstances will ever take lightly and would prefer not to have to make at all.
But if and when that decision is required, it must not be made by a Government enforcing outdated laws, or introducing new laws, that only serve to perpetuate the anguish and pain any woman in that situation undoubtedly already feels.
Abortion will forever be an emotional topic of discussion but one that is absolutely necessary if you are a woman, because it is about choice. A choice to control your own body and create a future that will affect you for the rest of your life, not those who impose laws to restrict our choices.
I realise that the choice, and choice here being the operative word, which the good people of Ireland have made in this referendum may not be agreeable to all, but isn’t it still better than having say, someone like Mike Pence or Jacob Rees-Mogg decide for you?
Next stop Northern Ireland so our sisters there can also exercise a choice that should be theirs, and theirs alone to make.
THE BAD
So this one is a tad bitter-sweet for me. Because out of something so horrifically bad and unimaginable came a breath of fresh air – Kate McKinnon. I discovered Kate during the 2016 US Election campaign. And along with 99.9% of the sane world I never dreamt what I would be waking up to on the morning after the night before – that twas the 8 November 2016. I still don’t think I have fully recovered from the shocking horror of the result to this day and I probably never will.
I mean come on, WTF? What, how and why? I have read Hillary Rodham Clinton’s book ‘What Happened’ and I still can’t address that question without crying.
Anyway, my prior infatuation with Hillary Clinton ensured that I kept a close eye on the Election and all things Democratic. And now I keep a close eye on all things Kate McKinnon. Kate is without a doubt one of the funniest, most hilarious people on this Earth, and gorgeous with it. And it was an absolute bonus when I found out she was indeedy a lesbian of the highest order. Oh, and by far and away the best Hillary Clinton impersonator – ever!!!!!!
In fact she does Hillary Clinton better than Hillary Clinton does herself. Two great women that champion the female cause for women everywhere. Kate McKinnon for President anyone? YAY
THE UGLY
There was only ever going to be one contender for the ugliest of them all and I will only refer to him as ‘Human Shrek’, the name he has acquired in the media.
I really do not know where to begin, other than to say how much I admire all of the women who have fought tooth and nail to bring him finally, into the legal system where he will hopefully face the consequences of his hideously, depraved actions.
And how much I admire all women everywhere for sharing their #MeToo experiences. Clearly not an easy thing to do, though paramount in ensuring that perpetrators of sexual assault and violence are brought to account. For there can surely be no other act that affects women greater than that of being violated, whether physically, sexually and/or verbally.
Why is it then that some men cannot find it in themselves to act and behave with some form of decency and decorum around women? When will they ‘get it’ that women do not want unwanted, salacious attention in any shape or form? I mean unless you are deaf, dumb and blind it is pretty obvious when someone is into you, or not. So Scott Baio just STFU, please.
And when will it cease to be our fault? This is about so much more than unrequited advances alone though. It goes way back even before Freud and his hysteria turned psychoanalysis theories. The tables are turning; women are being believed, finally.
I wonder how Freud would analyse the ‘Human Shrek’ today, and how would he attempt to bury the truth of sexual assault away in 2018? I don’t actually think he could now.