This Week I’ve Been Reading

Here’s a round up of blog posts, articles and other things from the internet that caught my attention this week.

Sunday:

The Constitutional Convention voted to recommend that constitution be amended to allow for civil marriage for same-sex couples. Here, Stephen Spillane writes about what happens next  - The Convention on the Constitution and Same-Sex Marriage – This is Only The Beginning.

A lovely post from limmster, about how one moment can trigger so many other memories - You Can’t Ignore the Sparks.

Hannah wrote a letter to her sixteen year-old self - A Letter to my Sixteen Year-Old Self.

Monday:

Following the launch of his second album, Derek shares an original track from it for New Music Monday – Dead Inside.

Are you sick of unsolicited callers to your door? Tired of telling them that you’re not interested in whatever it is they’re on about? Then this sign from Like Mam Used to Bake  might be for you - That Sign on Like Mam Used to Bake.

Justin Bieber visited the Anne Frank House and left a note in the guest book saying, ‘Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber’. Here’s Emma Barnett’s response – Justin Bieber doesn’t get to second guess Anne Frank. Nobody does.

As first posts on a new blog go, this one by Una Power is excellent – Waiting on Change in Ireland’s Mental Health Services.

Over on Beaut.ie, Anna has the lowdown on the feminist group, Femen – Femen: Are Topless Protests the way to Change the World?

Tuesday:

A guest post about the experience of losing a sister and donating her organs. Please do take the time to read it and then have a conversation about organ donation with your loved ones – Mourning a Sister.

Over on The Vagenda, one woman shares her experience of getting sterilised – TMI: My Sterilisation.

A photography tip that beauty bloggers might find useful – Product Photography – Light Tents Made Easy.

A thought provoking piece about the arrangements for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral – Maggie and Diana: on burying an icon.

Alison Brie performing internet memes, what’s not to like – Alison Brie Imitates Popular Internet Memes.

Wednesday:

New Zealand became the 13th nation to legalise same-sex marriage. Here’s a smart, funny and right on the money speech by one of their MPs prior to the vote  - Maurice Williamson: ‘Rainbows across my electorate’.

Do you have trouble finding foundation in the perfect shade for you? How about mixing your own? – Mixing Foundations – Yay or Nay?

On the day Margaret Thatcher was buried, Fiona wonders if she’ll see the first female Taoiseach in her lifetime - Opinion: When will see a female Taoiseach in Ireland?

One for the bloggers, what kind of reaction have you had from friends and family when they find out about you’re blog? – So you’re a secret blogger…

The new Florence + the Machine song, Over the Love, from The Great Gatsby soundtrack is rather beautiful. – GQ Exclusive: Stream Florence and the Machine’s “Over the Love,” from The Great Gatsby Soundtrack.

Thursday:

This post about hands made me smile – Hands – they tell us so much.

As some who is a klutz that bruises easily I could really relate to this post – The Mystery Injury Pie.

One woman’s experience of telling people she suffers from depression reminded her of her early experience with coming out as gay – Coming Out.

Just look at the gorgeous coral things Nurse Fancy Pants bought in Topshop. I want them all! – Three Coral picks from Topshop.

Kitty is hooked on the A Song of Ice and Fire series of books – Obsessed with Reading! What are Reading and Loving Right Now?

Friday: 

Nurse Fancy Pants is feeling all romantic with these literary quotes – Romantic Literary Quotes to make you go ‘Aww’.

Jenny Butler on the difficulties faced by same-sex couples when it comes to adopting, in Ireland – Adoption – The Long Road Ahead.

A really honest blog post from Chantelle – Do Over.

In light of the Iona Institute, that Child Trends study and the Constitutional Convention story this piece is worth reading – Evidence-based research: Rarely pure and never simple.

What You Need to Know

Reblogged from Irish Blogs:

A few things you need to know....

1. There has been a pinterest page set up. If you would like to be added, here's what you have to do!

Leave a comment or send an email to irishblogs@yahoo.ie with the following

  • Your Blog Link
  • Your Pinterest account link (if you have one)
  • Your facebook page (if you have one)
  • Some words about yourself or your blog, it doesn't have to be epic…

Read more… 94 more words

Are you a blogger? In Ireland? Looking to discover some new blogs and see what other bloggers write about? Then check out this post from Limmster about getting involved in the Irish Blogs Pinterest page. Blogger or not, if you're on Pinterest and looking for some new reading material then this board is worth a follow.

Savita Halappanavar: Miscarriage, Abortion and the Questions that Still Remain

When the news of Savita Halappanavar’s death broke on 14th November 2012, I immediately had questions. I wanted to know how and why this young woman died. We all did.

The answers, according to the findings from the on-going inquest, paint a picture of failure after failure. Letting the Halappanavar’s down and Savita ultimately paying for it with her life. These failures were both human and systemic. There was an unnecessary delay in reviewing all the information and test results, which meant they couldn’t possibly treat Savita correctly. Unfortunately, she never stood a chance.

In the aftermath of Savita’s death I couldn’t get past the thought that it could have been me. Or you. It could have been any woman. Am I confident that it won’t happen again? No and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Women all over the country, and their loved ones, now have something else to contend with when it comes to pregnancy. The question of whether they are receiving the best possible care and if something should go wrong will everything be done to help them get through it? I still do not know the answer to that, and it scares the hell out of me.

Had the X Case already been legislated for would it have saved Savita? Based on the litany of errors that were made throughout this case I would have to say that sadly it probably would not. By the time the doctors realised that her life, as opposed to her health, was in danger it was already too late. There was no hope.

Does this mean that the lack of X Case legislation played no part in Savita’s death? No, it does not. The fact that Savita was refused a termination when she requested one on the Tuesday, the third day of her ordeal, is down to our abortion laws (or lack of laws). This is evident in the fact that the consultant Dr Katherine Astbury, said it couldn’t be done as there was a foetal heartbeat and Savita’s life wasn’t at risk. We now know that Savita’s life was in danger. They just hadn’t realised it yet.

If a termination had been granted when Savita requested it would it have saved her life? It might have stopped the sepsis from taking hold but that is something we’ll never know for sure. What we do know is that a woman who was in the process of a prolonged and painful miscarriage asked for help, with ending the process sooner, and was refused. I’m not comfortable with nor proud of living in a country where this happens.

In trying to explain the reasons for the refusal to the distraught couple, the midwife manager Ann Maria Burke told them that a termination couldn’t be carried out because Ireland is a ‘Catholic country’. Ms. Burke confirmed this at the inquest, after Praveen Halappanavar had initially stated that it was the consultant who spoke those words. Ms. Burke expressed regret for her remarks and to his credit, in what is the latest in a long line of strong and dignified moments from Praveen, he accepted her apology.

It wasn’t simply one thing that led to the untimely death of Savita Halappanavar. There was mistake after mistake and yes, our abortion laws played a role. The extremes, on both sides, of the abortion debate would do well to acknowledge this. Instead of frantically spinning this tragic case to fit their agenda, and their agenda alone.

Back in November, after much consideration I concluded that I was in favour of legislating for the X Case. I could no longer consider myself to be on the pro-life side of this debate. By not supporting abortion on demand (which is a term I’m not a fan of, if anything it would be abortion on request) however, I found myself not fully in the pro-choice camp either. I was somewhere in the uncomfortable middle.

Johnny Fallon articulated some of my own struggles with the issue better than I could, in this Irish Independent article. I can understand where both sides are coming from, which in many ways can be a good thing. When it comes to the contentious issue of abortion though, it doesn’t do you any favours with either side. Anne-Marie Flynn also spoke about this in her piece, when she mentioned that when it comes to abortion ‘no-one can ever claim to be really right’.

I would now consider myself pro-choice and to be honest, I am more interested in exploring what that means than debating with the pro-life side. I have questions about term limits and funding but that is a piece for another time, not that I’ll ever have all the answers.

I don’t know what X Case legislation will look like when it comes. I suspect that in order for it to meet the requirements of ‘The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as is practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right’, it will be something that neither side will be happy with. The pro-life side will deride it for bringing abortion into Ireland, while the pro-choice side will be adamant that it’s not even close enough.

What I do know is that it will do nothing for women who have been told their foetuses are not viable. Or women who find themselves pregnant as a result of rape. Or women who want an abortion for any number of other reasons. And so, the debate will never end.

My Submission to the Constitutional Convention about Marriage Equality

There’s no denying that the introduction of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 was a big moment in the fight for equality for members of Ireland’s LGBT community.

For the first time same-sex couples were able to have their relationships legally recognised by the State. However, it doesn’t go far enough. There are still over 160 differences between civil partnerships and civil marriage.

According to figures provided by the General Registrars Office 965 Civil Partnerships have taken place between April 2011, when they first became publicly available, and December 2012.

These figures don’t include the hundreds of couples who entered into legal marriages and civil partnerships abroad. They are automatically given Civil Partnership status by the Irish State.

These people made the decision to commit to each other long term and have that commitment witnessed by their friends and family. Is their commitment inferior to that entered into by heterosexual couples? The vast majority of people would say no, it’s not, but in the eyes of the State it is. It’s a step down, an almost marriage, and that isn’t good enough. This kind of inequality is wrong. It needs to be changed.

Same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections that civil marriage affords heterosexual couples. They are citizens of this country too and must be treated as such.

But marriage is really all about what’s best for the children, is the argument you’ll hear from the opponents of marriage equality. There are two things to say in response to this.

Firstly, not all marriages result in children. Some couples choose not to have any, while other couples wish to but for various reasons cannot. Their marriages don’t become invalid as a result of this. Not all heterosexual couples who actually do have children choose to get married either. But the option is open to them should they want it. It is not open to same-sex couples.

Secondly, same-sex couples can and do become parents. How can those who claim to have the best interests of the child at heart not realise that treating same-sex parents differently to heterosexual parents isn’t in the best interests of the children in question?

How is telling a child that their parents, be that two mothers or two fathers, aren’t as good as other parents the right thing to do? It’s not, but by preventing same-sex couples marrying, should they wish to, this is exactly the kind of signal the State is sending to children.

We’re in almost territory again. Almost marriages. Almost proper parents. Almost being treated equally. It’s time the ‘almost’ stopped.

Ultimately, Ireland is on the cusp of giving the LGBT community the same freedom as their heterosexual counterparts. That is, the freedom to decide whether or not to choose civil marriage as a way of expressing love and commitment towards their partner. Don’t we all deserve that choice?

Opinion polls consistently show that Irish people would vote yes in a referendum to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples. The latest poll from Millward Brown, commissioned by Marriage Equality, puts the figure at 75%.

I, therefore, urge the Convention to vote in favour of amending the Constitution to allow couples to enter into civil marriage regardless of their sexuality.

Review: Lancome Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid Face and Eyes

Lancome Gentle Softening Cleanser

As part of my use up my stash before buying new products kick I decided to throw this in my travel bag when I was heading off down the country recently for a few days.

It’s a basic light cleansing fluid that I massage into dry skin paying particular attention to my eyes when removing make-up at night. I usually leave it a few minutes to dissolve the make-up fully while I brush my teeth and then I remove it with a muslin cloth and warm water.

There is quite a noticeable scent off this cleanser. It’s hard to describe as it contains hints of floral and something else I can’t quite put my finger on but is slightly chemically. It isn’t offensive or overpowering but it is there so I’m making you aware of it.

As an eye make-up remover it had no problem removing my NYC High Definition Mascara but on the second night of use it struggled with my La Roche-Posay Respectissme Volumising Waterproof Mascara. Luckily I had a couple of vials of La Roche-Posay Toleriane Eye Make-up Remover on standby. This makes me think that the cleansing fluid wouldn’t be much of a match for eyeliner of any description.

As a general cleanser it causes no residual redness or tightness and my skin is left feeling soft and looking clean so it does the cleansing job nicely.

I’m not sure it’s luxurious enough to warrant the €25+ price tag though so I can’t see myself purchasing a full sized bottle.

Have you tried the Lancome Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid? If so, how did you get on with it? Are you a fan of cleansing fluids in general? Let me know in the comments below.