Tag: my big mouth

My Big Mouth: If it’s not your body, it’s not your decision.

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After watching the BBC3 Documentary on abortion in Ireland this week I decided that it was right to write this post. Despite abortion becoming legal in the 1960s in Britain, Northern Ireland decided that they did not want to partake in this. Getting an abortion in Northern Ireland is illegal, meaning many women resort to either trying to induce an abortion themselves or paying out to travel to England for the procedure.

When I was younger I didn’t understand why anyone would get an abortion, who didn’t want a baby? The older I got, however, I realised that the issue wasn’t as black and white as it seemed. For any woman getting pregnant brings anxieties, for someone who was desperately trying not to get pregnant it can be heart breaking because no matter how careful people are there is always a chance, which some people seem to forget. More often than not there is a stigma of an accidental pregnancy even though we’re all aware that condoms split, pills fail and there can be defective implants and yet women are still judged and in some parts of the world treated like criminals.

I’ve never had an abortion, I hope that I never have to. I do, however, have friends who have gone through a lot I’ve had friends who felt the only option they had was to have an abortion: I have friends who have had miscarriages and have to deal with that heart break, I have friends who continued with the pregnancy and others who can’t get pregnant at all. My point is that each woman is individual, they have their own thoughts, plans and having a child should not be forced upon them. I did research into the idea that it is ‘killing’ a child, apart from the foetus cannot feel pain at this point.

Do I think the limit should be lowered? Yes. I think that 20 weeks is too late for an abortion in my personal opinion, just because of the rate in which we can premature babies alive, this is one of the grey areas. That said, the majority of abortions happen way before this point when there is no change a foetus could have life as for a long time it is not a ‘baby’ as we see it, but cells. As harsh as I know that sounds it is the image of this perfect baby from conception which can lead women to reacting in a way they otherwise wouldn’t. This needs to be handled from a medical perspective, not one of emotions.

Which is why when I see protestors outside of abortion clinics or standing in the street yelling abuse and holding horrific pictures to women ,who frankly have enough going on without it, I get angry. Who are THEY to impose their beliefs on another persons body? I doubt there are any women who are happy to go through an abortion, it’s not pleasant and it’s nothing someone sets out to do. I don’t care what your religion says, it is that woman’s choice and often they are thinking of the implications of the sort of life a child would have at that time.

So yes, I am pro choice. I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business quite frankly and we do not need to shame a woman but let her live her life without shame, embarrassment and stigma.

My Big Mouth: Zoella who? Ghost Writers should get credit!

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Publishers Penguin has said Zoe 'Zoella' Sugg, 24, 'did not write the book Girl Online on her own,' but did not confirm that the sales success was ghostwritten

Teen Blogger Zoella with a copy of Girl online (photo belongs from Daily Mail Website).

 Teen blogger Zoella Sugg was in headline this week after her debut book had outsold J.K Rowling. For someone so young an inexperienced to beat a much loved author means this young girl must have some talent…except penguin have now announced that the novel was not written by Zoella, instead by a ghost writer, although jumping to Zoella’s defence her fans are content because she came up with the plot.

For a long time the thought of ghost writers have upset and angered me. The process of writing a book (especially one to sell this many copies upon release) makes me feel very disappointed as a writer.  I have hundreds of ideas in my head for plots, if someone managed to create that into an incredible novel, I’d be a little peeved but I wouldn’t say nope it’s all mine. The hours of writing it takes to create a novel (and believe me I’ve tried) is something that deserves recognition. While some fans claim she was honest about it the whole way through and that means it’s ok. What about the author! Could this not have been a collaborative effort? Instead of simply putting Zoella’s name on the cover why not the names of both of them?

In my opinion this sends out a bad message to kids, if you have an idea get someone else to do the hard work for you and then get all the attention and money from it. It’s not how the real world works, a world of hard work and determination and yet we are willing to look the other way, I for one am not. Another famous name to have her own novel is model Katie Price, a.k.a Jordan. Katie brings out a new book every few years and ,like Zoella, claims that she only comes up with the plot and lets someone else write if for her. We’re not talking about getting help on an autobiography but writing novel after novel and putting her own name on them as well as getting the profits for it.

Glamour model Katie Price has published numerous books under her name,

all of which have been ghostwritten (image from Daily Mail website). 

While many call on me for being too harsh on Zoella and can’t understand why I get irritated by this news I say to them take the best piece of work you’ve ever done, now imagine someone else gave you that idea and they get all the credit. Doesn’t feel too great does it? Writers don’t choose to have their own name abolished form a creation but they do it because they want their work out there and it’s damn hard for authors to do. I will say this though, to the real author of Girl Online, I hope you go on to get the recognition you deserve.