Obsessed with a city that I have never even been, does in your dreams count?
I have been transported in TV shows to a city that apparently never sleeps, I've googled and saved more pictures of the iconic skyline, I follow every Instagram account that has pictures of this city and of course the obsession with the 90's dream show: Sex and the City where a blond runs around the city buying the most expensive shoes in the world, drinking cosmos every night all the while writing one small column for a news paper.
Or Friends, where a group of 20 something year old all gather round a cafe during the day not working all the while living in dreamy New York apartments.
New York is somewhere I have always wanted to go and I am one step closer as I sent off my graduate visa application to Boston to the Irish Immigration Centre last week.
In the last few months I have been telling people I am moving and most recently I told a customer at work (more on work later...) and he look so flabbergasted that I was planning on moving to a city the other side of the world on my own. "Why?" he asked, to which I responded, "Why not?"
I have been very absent on this platform. I had such high hopes at the beginning of 2017 to keep updated and establish myself a lot more as a writer, I don't think the word blogger can apply to me but life got in the way and here I am 6 months into 2017 and I haven't ticked too many things off my bucket list.
I no longer work as a journalist *sigh* but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to pursue other dreams. But I think my time in my local paper gave me a lot of insight into myself personally, this blog and my career. You can get lost in wanting to be like every other 'blogger out there' and my time writing about real stories with the paper made me want to create content on this blog with real people and not simply 'here is what I am wearing' etc etc. My short lived, first real job in journalism was the experience that I needed to make me realise that yes, creating content and writing articles and stories about real people and real life subjects is what I do want to do with my work life.
I am back working as a waitress in a hotel and made that choice so I could make more money before the big move. I have to keep repeating to myself that I am not going backwards in life leaving journalism to be a waitress and keep reassuring myself you have to make some sacrifices. If you had told me that this time two years ago I would have my Masters and be moving to New York I would have laughed and then probably cried because it was something I really wanted. Yet here I am making it actually happen.
The closer September looms around the more excited I get, I am aware how different it is going to be. I won't have the comfort of a 20 minute car journey to my home in Bunninadden, nor will I be able to pop over to one of my best friends house at the drop of a hat. I won't have my dog, parents or nephews or nieces to visit but I need something to shock me out of this comfort. This way of living, because to tell you the gods honest truth: I. Am. Bored.
Bored of the same conversations, bored of the same scenery, bored of the lack of adventure.
I want to be thrown into the deep end, because how else do you learn how to swim?
So the man that asked me why, why why why would I want to move to New York? an on my own?
Well I couldn't think of any other place in the world to chase after my dreams (cringe at even writing that). I am aware of how much effort it is going to take. I don't think I will land the dream apartment, job or friends at the drop of the hat. But if I don't take this chance now I never will.
The majority of my friends are settling down, getting married and having children (yes even at the young age of 25...) and while I am so happy and pleased for them, it is not something I want for myself right now.
But what if you end up hating it? is a question that keeps popping up in my mind time and time again. While falling on my face, failing and having to return home is something I would not like to happen I am aware that if I did at least I can say I tried.
So if there is anyone out there who needs an intern for Journalism/PR/communications in New York city and the surrounding area or perhaps needs a new housemate for September, let me know, I'm sound I promise and I have several people who can vouch for this (sineadhealy5@gmail.com.)
L-R: Fiona Quilter, Miriam Morrison and Avril Winters who are all part of the North West Lyme Group and suffer from Lyme Disease. Pic: Sinéad Healy
Lack of awareness of
Lyme disease in Ireland means the illness is under reported and often goes
un-treated. Lyme disease is an
infectious disease caused by the Borelia bacteria and is transmitted by infected
Ticks.The most common sign of
infection is an expanding area of redness or what’s commonly known as a
‘bulls-eye rash’(pictured).
(Bulls Eye Rash: Pic: Google Images)
The disease can lay
dormant in your body and attacks when your immune system is weakened. Treatment is available in Ireland, but consists of a six week
course of antibiotics, which may not always be enough.
Lyme disease causes
flu-like symptoms such as fever, joint pain, headaches, heart-palpitations and
if untreated with anti-biotics it can result in a range of symptoms similar to chronic
fatigue, fibromyalgia, bells-palsy or multiple-sclerosis.
However
according to DrJohn
Lambert, a specialist in infectious
diseases at theMater
Hospitalin Dublin said it is ‘a poorly understood disease’ and the
tests provided in Ireland for Lyme disease are often inadequate.
“The Lyme test is often negative, but patients can
still have Lyme. A positive test is helpful to say that the infection is
there, but a negative test’s does not rule it out. Doctors do not seem to
understand this basic principle. There are other infections similar to
Lyme and other strains of the Lyme bacteria that are not picked up, so patients
will get sick following a tick bite, the Lyme test is negative, and they are
told ‘there is nothing wrong’ when indeed the wrong tests were done.
“Doctors debate whether Lyme can cause chronic
infection, and argue over whether to treat with antibiotics for longer periods
of time. Many are told just to treat for two to four weeks and no longer.
But there is good evidence that it requires longer courses of treatment if the
infection has gone chronic, or has been in the system for a long period of
time.
“There is a lack of awareness and a lack of studies
to see how much Lyme we actually have in Ireland. No one
really knows. I think Lyme is on the increase, but also patients are
more vocal now and raising the awareness and not settling for a ‘no’
answer. Patients are going out of the country to get ‘alternative’ Lyme
tests done, which are more sensitive than the antibody tests done here.
“Irish patients travel all over the world so they
may be picking up the infections from tick bites here (Donegal, Sligo, Galway,
Kerry, Wicklow) or they may be bringing them back from the USA, Lanzarote and
so forth.”
48-year old Fiona
Quilter from Sligo contracted Lyme disease more than 8 years ago and is an
advocate and member of the North-West Lyme Group. Fiona had her GP
send blood tests to Germany where clinics specialise in treating patients with
Lyme Disease. Within three days she was diagnosed with the bacterial disease.
Blood tests carried out in Ireland often do not test for
Lyme, and therefore the treatment available across Europe is far more
extensive. Doctors can treat it early once a rash appears after a bite,
they can provide antibiotics that will stop it.
However those suffering with the illness for years are not
treated extensively in Ireland and are forced to travel to Germany and Czech
Republic for intravenous antibiotics, vitamins, light therapy, oxygen therapy
and many more treatments.
“We want doctors in
this country to recognise that this is an illness it is not all in our heads.
We should be treated as citizens in this county and not have to go abroad for
help.” said Fiona.
Miriam Morrison from
Sligo received a tick bite in 2015 but it wasn’t until 2016 that she was
diagnosed. She said the illness has affected every aspect of her life and was
bed-bound due to pain and weakness in her legs.
Avril
Winters from Leitrim has been battling the illness for more than 10 years and
believes the disease has changed her entire life for the worst. What began as
an exciting holiday to Morocco in 2007 ended up changing her life after
receiving a tick bite.
“I got the bull-rash on
my leg where the bite was and I remember thinking, ‘I hope I don’t have this
forever’
“Patients are learning
to treat themselves in Ireland because doctors won’t listen. You get forgotten
about if you don’t look sick. It can get depressing from not being heard and
left to rot. I’ve had doctors treat me for depression when I knew it wasn’t
mental, it was how I was physically feeling” said Avril.
In March 2014,
Barry Cryan started feeling unwell and thought he was coming down with the
common flu. His GP carried out routine tests, including one for Lyme Disease
which all came back normal.
Frustrated with the
outcome and not feeling any better, Barry struggled with the disease for more
than two years and found his memory was beginning to deteriorate. It wasn’t
until he found Fiona’s story on Lyme disease in the local paper that he became
aware of his options.
“I had bloods sent to Germany and
they showed that there was something badly wrong, in fact my immune system was
compared with that which you would expect to see in a patient with HIV.” said
Barry.
After an extensive few weeks of
treatment in the Czech Republic more than 12 months ago, Barry is starting to
feel ‘normal’ again. He believes that Lyme disease is
rapidly increasing in Ireland – within a one mile radius of his home in
Monasteraden County Sligo more than four people suffer from the disease.
“The test for Lyme Disease in Ireland is not
accurate outside of a very small window when you get a tick bite, most doctors
don’t recognise that. Just because you can’t find anything wrong it doesn’t mean
there’s nothing wrong, it just means you’re probably looking in the wrong
place.”
38 year-old Shirley Breslin from Athlone was bitten
by a mosquito in 2010 resulting in a large bulls-eye rash. She wants people to
be aware that while ticks are common with Lyme disease, any blood sucking
insect can carry the bacteria and ultimately affect its host.
After presenting her rash to a doctor they told her
it was a ‘normal skin reaction to a bite’.
“This normal reaction
was a text book bulls-eye rash which is associated with Lyme Disease. Chances
are if I received even one month of antibiotics then, I would not have the
problems I have today. That can be hard to take at times as my world has been
turned upside down.”
Shirley has spent years suffering with insomnia, chronic fatigue, pain in muscles and joints, loss of power,
spasms, twitches and various other side-effects of the disease. After losing the power of her legs she felt enough was enough
and went in search of an answer.
Shirley eventually went on to receive treatment in the Czech
Republic, she takes various
medication, painkillers, and antibiotics but unfortunately still needs a lot
more treatment due not only to Lyme but the co-infections that accompany it and
the damage it's caused to her body and immune system.
“All patients have
asked for is accurate testing with adequate treatment for an adequate and
appropriate amount of time – It is not a big ask.
“I'm one of the many
who are now Chronic Lyme Disease Patients/Sufferers due to the failure of not
providing a simple service, a basic right that any individual should receive.”
said Shirley
I always say that I want to travel the world and see all the wonders that are out there. But yet I have barely experienced any of the sights or wonders of Ireland. So my friend Teresa and I set ourselves a bucket list: to try and tick off as many tourist spots that we can possibly do this summer.
Starting with the closest: Downpatrick Head. It is a few miles North of Ballycastle village in County Mayo. So from where we live in South Sligo it was around an hour and 15 minutes.
While it might not be for everyone I love the sea and to sit on a nice day and look out it was all the fresh air I needed. The sea stack is called Dún Briste (broken fort) and is almost 40 meters in height.
It is also home to the ruins of a church, hold well and stone cross which all mark the site of a church that was founded by St. Patrick. There is also a blow hole and a viewing platform and an area where you can walk over and look down into the cracks of the sea below.
I have never been to the Cliffs of Moher (I know...) but Teresa has and she said she much preferred Down Patrick in comparison to it. We did get it on a good day, so heads up if you're thinking of making the trip it would be brutal in bad weather as it was still quiet windy.
Some people are lucky enough to have both set of grandparents.
I have only ever had my Granny Elizabeth - with my other grandparents passing away before I was born.
I had the pleasure and absolute honor to interview not only my Grandmother for the Sligo Champion Down Memory Lane supplement but also I got to interview my best friends Teresa's Grandfather.
First featured in the Sligo Champion Pictures: Sinéad Healy
Making
Poitín and the Big Snow of ‘47 recalled by Elizabeth
89-year old Elizabeth
Haran was born in Flowerhill, Bunninadden in 1928 along with her three sisters
and one brother. Going to Carrowreagh
national school was her earliest childhood memories and she recalls fondly the
memories of playing with her sister Christina as they made the 5 mile walk home.
“We would be all evening
coming home; there was no hurry on us. We would sit down on the tar road,
playing with marbles and spend the whole evening outside. But we would be
killed when we got home.
“Then it would be books
for the evening, our neighbour Pete would come in and the pencils would be
missing - there would be none to do the sums.
He would put a rod or a stick in the fire, blacken it and that’s what we
used to write with.” she says laughing.
“We eventually got
bicycles to go to school, buying the tires was hard as they were scarce but we
had a great time.”
Her mother stayed at
home with the children, while her father worked in a pub in Bunninadden, moving
barrels of whiskey and stout from Ballymote on a horse and trap while also
working as a post-man for some time.
“There was no such
thing as cars back then” explains Elizabeth.
World War Two made life
difficult for many living in Ireland as Elizabeth recalls. “Tea was scarce as
there was a ration alert and you only got so much and you had to make do with it.
Everything was cut back then. It was scary you wouldn’t get everything, you
just had to mind what you got and spare it.”
After her time in
school she got a job in Gurteen minding children.
“I was there a good
while with the Tansey’s. I liked doing it I had a great time, we used to go to
dances and have boyfriends – oh ya I had a few of them!”
1947 was the year of
the ‘Big Snow’, the coldest and harshest winter in living memory and while it
was 70 years ago it is something Elizabeth will never forget.
“I was 19 at the time
and everyone had to cut their way through the snow. People were walking on
ditches and they didn’t know, the snow was as high as the house. No tractors
could go, you couldn’t see outside.”
It was at this time she
came to Coolaney and worked with a family housekeeping. This is where she met
her late husband, John Haran. She got married at the age of 21 and began living
in Carrownaboney, Coolaney with John and his mother Mary-Kate.
“There was no such
thing as a wedding or any of that back then, we just came down from the chapel
and drank tea in the house and got on with it. We had a great time when we were
younger: we were in the dances in Coolaney, sometimes I would sit on the bar of
the bike. We would go card playing in houses full of people.”
From there life become
very busy for Elizabeth, she went on to have 11 children – four boys and seven
girls, while also being a busy working wife of a farmer and helping to care for
her mother-in-law.
Every morning she was
up at the crack of dawning, milking the cows and cutting silage to feed the
cows.
“The rest of the milk
went into a creamery can: a 15 gallon can. I used to put it on the peddle of
the bicycle and wheel it out the road to meet P Mc Hugh and he brought it to
the creamery.
“That’s where we got
our flour, butter and milk. You paid in milk if you wanted the groceries. At
dinner time I would draw water from the spring well and bring it back to the
house. I turned the garden into ridges planting potatoes, carrots, parsnips,
onions, every type of veg and I baked all my life.”
Poitín
making was generally produced in remote rural areas, away from the interference
of the law.
“We were never caught, thank god” she says laughing as she explains
the cooking process in detail. “You had to make it on a foggy night so the Guards
wouldn’t see the smoke. We would then hide the bottles in the ditches, the
older people before us taught us how to do it.”
Tragedy struck in June
1974 when her husband John (48) was killed after the Honda 50 motorbike he was
travelling on was struck with another vehicle and Elizabeth was left to rare
the children.
“I have no regrets in
life, I wouldn’t change a thing. Although I never learned to drive, I didn’t
try - I hadn’t the time to do it. I was never sick in my life; I didn’t have
time when the creamery can had to be over the road at 9!” she said laughing.
She credits hard work
as her secret to her long life: “Work, Work, Work, plenty of work. I never
looked back, thanks bit to god and I worked very hard all my life. Never marry
a famer if you don’t want lots of work.” she smiled.
Apart from a short
spell of illness in the last two years, Elizabeth is in great health: she does
her own shopping every Friday in Ballymote, cooks the dinner, gets her done in
the hairdresser and goes to Mass every Saturday evening and still has plenty of
time to entertain the great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth still lives
in the house where she reared all 11 children along with her son Noel who still
keeps the farm. She has 30 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
I much prefer being on that ^^^^ side of the camera.
As part of my 2017 Dreamzzz post (you can read that here) I said that I would try and do fashion posts because ultimately that's were I want to see this blog/my career in Journalism going.
So it's three months into the year and I hadn't done one yet and since the weather was nice last weekend I said I was going to bite the bullet and see what would come of it. I also know I'm not wearing the most fashionable outfit: it was a lazy Saturday but the jacket and jumper are new so hey ho!!
So here are the finished results.
*Inserting cringe worthy posey photos.........
Denim Jacket: Primark (in shops now)
Top: Primark (in shops now)
Jeans: Topshop Joni Jeans
Shoes: Vans
Sunglasses: Primark
Dog: One of a kind <3
I am aware that I am by no means a fashion blogger or an expert, I wanted to do it for a laugh and to push myself out of my comfort zone and I can confirm it worked, so awkward: I mean look at my damn hands, what does one do with them in photos???
Photos: By my Mum
(I had her head wrecked god love her)
"I just want her to grow up somewhere that she has control over her own body"
The 8th of March 2017. Remember the date because it will be marked down in history as the day the Island of Ireland went on 'Strike 4 Repeal' of the 8th amendment.
It also happened to coincide with International Women's Day.
If you want to read more about why the people of Ireland went on strike Refinery 29 did a really informative article that can be found here and if you are interested and haven't read it yet I also wrote a blog post all about Abortion which can be found here.
At the strike I spoke with a grandmother who fought for contraceptive rights in the 70's and she couldn't believe she was still fighting for women's rights. Two mothers brought their children to help them fight for their future and their rights to bodily autonomy. This post is more for my own personal memories than anything else.
Below are photos from the Sligo Strike for Repeal protest in Strandhill and some quotes from an article that I wrote for a local paper. (Source: The Sligo Champion)
Denise O’Toole,
Convener of Repeal the 8th Sligo Abortion Rights campaign (ARC)
said: “We strike in full confidence of a Repeal of the eight; we declare the
right of the women of the Ireland to be trusted with decisions about their
bodies, their health and their lives. In every generation the Irish residents
have asserted their right to control their bodies, standing on that fundamental
right we proclaim the need for free, safe and legal abortion across the Island
of Ireland.”
Lorelei Fox-Roberts
brought her daughter along to the strike explaining the importance of involving
children at a young age: “I involved her because I don’t want her to be defined
and limited by this law too. I want her to grow up somewhere that she has
control over her body. I think it is important for her to see at a young age
that people can make a difference if they come out on the streets and stand up.”
Mary Nellany from
Cloonamahon also involved her children in the strike: “I’m finished having
children but I don’t want my daughters to die having a baby one day. Today is
for them so they can have a choice, so they can decide for themselves.”
A group of Sligo
Grandmothers said they turned up “to fight for women’s reproductive rights."
“We were in the fight
for contraception in the 70’s and we can’t believe we are still fighting today,
it shouldn’t be going on.” said Imelda Peppard from West Sligo.
Wendy Winter holding a
‘My body My Choice’ sign said was fighting for women’s Independence: “I think
women are not given enough credit for their intelligence and their sense of
personal responsibility. All the claims you hear about ‘if you legalise
abortion all women will be rushing off to have abortions’ is rubbish, it’s a
choice you make if you feel it is the right choice and in certain
circumstances. You should be allowed make that choice, sometimes it’s the
responsible choice to make.
“Women are treated like
second class citizens in this country. I am here to support women in this
country who have been fighting for so long to be heard, to be treated like
adults if not at least like free independent human beings.” added Wendy echoing the sentiments of many of those who attended the event.
It is a controversial topic: Abortion and everything that goes with it.
A taboo subject that not many are willing to talk about openly
It wasn't until recently when I had a conversation with a very brave woman who had an abortion that it really got me thinking about how little I knew on the subject and in reality how deep this topic goes, far beyond the initial abortion process.
I never spoke with someone who has had an abortion. Then again maybe I have and just didn't know, it's not like people wear a badge or look any different and for some its not something they want to shout from the rooftop. But it struck me how real the problem of accessing abortion is. I know it has been a problem for years I'm aware it is not ground breaking news, but sitting in front of me this woman told me her story and I finally had a face to one of the thousands of women who made and continues to make the decision to have an abortion. It made it more personal even though it hadn't happened to me.
38 women left Sligo in 2015 to avail of Legal Abortion services in the UK, according to Statistics given by the UK Department of Health and more than 3400 women made the trip to England to avail of Legal Abortion services in 2015.
Did you know that an abortion can cost anywhere from €500 to €1600 and that's not factoring in the price of travel? I was blown away by this cost. Call me naive or stupid if you want, but I just assumed that it cost a couple of hundred, €300 at max. Even abortion pills can cost anywhere from €500 and up.
I'm not sure where I am going with this blog post I just feel like I want to speak about this topic, something that has divided the country especially in the last few months.
Pro-choice, anti-choice, pro-abortion, anti-abortion, Pro-Life, Free safe legal, wherever you stand on the subject, whatever your views on the subject I feel like everyone should be informed on the matter: both sides of the argument. I asked a friend to go with me to a protest awhile ago and she answered me honestly saying she wasn't informed enough to go and I was glad she was honest enough to say it instead of jumping on a band wagon she was unfamiliar with.
Let me make one thing clear: I want women to be allowed to legally have abortions in Ireland.
I have always said that I personally would never have an abortion but I have no problem supporting another woman having one, whatever her reasons maybe. But since speaking with someone who has had an abortion it really threw me.
We hear of all these women that make the journey or sit at home and take the pills on their own and it got me thinking of the reality of what I would do if at 25 I happened to fall pregnant.
At the end of the day I can no longer honestly say I wouldn't have one.
As of right now my life is no were near ready for a baby, I can barely afford my own life never mind factoring in another human being. So if I got pregnant what would I do? It is a decision I hope I am never faced with but if I do it is sad to think that my country wouldn't support my decision of abortion if that was my wishes. I have a contraceptive implant in my arm but at the end of the day, pregnancy can happen no matter how careful you are as nothing is 100 percent.
I have heard a lot recently that 'oh yeah a woman should be allowed have an abortion if'......."if she gets raped, if the baby has fatal foetal abnormalities, if this, if that....."
But why do we have to have these if's and buts?
if a woman is raped and gets pregnant she should be allowed to have an abortion if she wishes. if a woman has sex, the condom rips and she gets pregnant she should be allowed to have an abortion if she wishes.
if a woman has sex, her contraceptive pill fails to work, she gets pregnant, she should be allowed to have an abortion if she wishes.
if a woman has sex, gets pregnant and she believes she can't economically afford to have a baby she should be allowed to have an abortion if she wishes.
if a woman who gets pregnant and simply does not want a baby then she should be allowed to have an abortion if she wishes.
if a woman wants an abortion, she should be allowed to have one regardless of the circumstances.
if a woman wants to do it, she should be allowed.
she should be allowed have an abortion if.she.wishes.
how can you say one woman is entitled to an abortion and another woman is not? this game of circumstances is a vicious one and something I had once fought the reason for repeal. I explained to family members 'but what if I got raped' when instead there should have been no but's or if's..
how about instead the simple statement should be 'what if I just don't want a baby'.
The Consequences
Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, 2013: A person who is guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable on indictment to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 14 years, or both. VS Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990: sets out the law in Ireland on sexual assault. A sexual assault is an indecent assault on a male or a female. The maximum sentence is 10 years imprisonment or 14 years if the victim is aged under 17 years. If you look at these side by side both carry the same weight of sentence: 14 years for aborting a baby that let's say has been conceived by rape VS 14 years for the person causing the rape. how does it make sense. Both punished for a crime committed by one.
The following excerpt is from the Journal.ie in 2014 and you can read the full article here. This piece confirms that even if you are at risk to yourself, your own word is not enough and three people have to decide that for you: A veterinarian will abort a calf if a cow is falling ill. How is it that livestock is worth more to this land than us? (We Face This Land, 2016.)
The only exception is when there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother. This includes a risk arising from a threat ofsuicide. Three doctors – two psychiatrists and an obstetrician – must examine the woman and jointly decide that there is a risk to her life that can only be averted by a termination of the pregnancy, having regard to the need to preserve unborn human life.
One of the psychiatrists is seen first. If he/she believes the woman’s condition “satisfies the requirement of the Act”, then she will see the second psychiatrist who must agree with the first if an obstetrician is to become involved.
The Health Service Executive said it can ensure this process happens in a “timely manner”.
It is illegal in Ireland to have an abortion in the case of lethal foetal abnormality. It is also illegal to carry out an abortion in cases of rape and incest. (Journal.ie, 2014.)
When it comes down to the nitty, gritty details and root of why people are so against abortion, its quiet clear isn't it? this isn't always about the un-born child, this is about the sense of control that the state, the churches and men have executed what they believe is their right over women, their bodies and their reproductive organs, something that has been happening for centuries: a violation of our human rights.
The phrase, 'well don't have sex if you don't want to get pregnant' or 'keep your legs shut' is the response I heard time and time again from people who I believe are living a very 'mundane, un-realistic, self-righteous, holier than-thou lifestyle.'
please stop shaming woman and girls for being sexual when all our lives and most likely for the rest of our lives you think you can control and continue to sexualize us.
Why do people not believe that we as women and people can make the right decision for our bodies and our life? Why in 2017 are we STILL having to fight for the freedom of our own bodies and what we chose to do with them.
The guardian did a study where they found that 95% of women who had abortions believed it was the right decision.
Speaking with the woman who openly and confidently told me about her abortion story, she told me about dealing with regret and abortion, the following statement is from her submission to the Citizens Assembly 2016.
"Most women/people don't regret their abortions some are happy, relieved, a hundred emotions all at one, but what if I or anyone did regret for a minute, a day, a fleeting week, a torturous year?
"No one owns regret. It's an emotion.
"The anti-choice side seem to think its a golden key to the abortion debate that they hold in their imaginary superior moral battleground where they are the schoolyard bullies. If one of these anti-choice women who now regrets her abortion so much does then fine, but don't be such a hypocrite to do what you want then tell every other pregnant person what they can or cannot do."
I have read both sides of the argument, I have been attached online by 'Anti-Choice, Pro-Life' keyboard warrior campaigners and I have heard stories first hand of women who on their own made their choice to live their life the way the choose. I am aware I will probably get a torrent of abuse about this online also.
But before you rip apart someone else's opinion, be informed, have some compassion and maybe put yourself in the shoes of all the thousand of woman, wives, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, cousins, friends, enemy's, colleagues and girls that are forced to travel every year, every week and every day, looking for fair medical treatment on other land after being rejected and punished by our own country. Don't believe its an easy decision for women to make, it's not but for some it is the only decision and it shouldn't be decided by anyone other than them.
'We Face this land'
by Sarah Maria Griffen
Centuries ago women accused of witchcraft faced,
Amongst other ordeals, trial by water Tied to a chair or run under a boat If she survives the drowning and floats she’s a witch. If she dies, she’s a woman We are not witches but if the church and state insist
Then let us be the descendants of all the witches they could not drown
This heirloom of trauma, this curse
This agony of water in order to hold agency over our bodies
Not all of us have survived, the waves do not part
There are no miracles here
When a stethoscope is a crucifix on your belly
How do you have any choice but the water
And fair medical treatment on other shores
A body is a body is a body is a body is a body is a body is a body
Not a house. Not a city. Not a vessel, not a country
The laws of the church have no place on your flesh
A veterinarian will abort a calf if a cow is falling ill.
How is it that livestock is worth more to this land than us?
Eleven women every day leave Ireland seeking an abortion abroad.
We ask for the land over the water. Home over trial. Choice over none.
For our foremothers, for ourselves, the generations yet to come
Witches or women, these are our bodies which shall not be given up.
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*This post does not suggest that anyone should get an abortion, this is a post in reference to my support on Repealing the 8th amendment of the Constitution in Ireland. All views are my own*
For more information or to talk to a professional on the matter please see:
www.positiveoptions.ie
