Again, today more opinions — misguided — on mothering. The Globe and its Africa edition. Has the new editor got a bit of a sniffer for celebs? Indeed he appears to. The paper under his editorship so far has become lighter. The books section (to which I contribute, tho’ after this blog post … who knows!) now contains a review of magazines: what’s on the shelf, which is an annoying ditzation. Other features have been chucked like The Buried Treasure column, clearly deemed too high brow, with the new appetiser menu demand.  I’m particularly aggrieved at this since I took nearly three months to write about DM Fraser’s Ignorant Armies, a book I consider well worth three months consideration, to learn that the G&M could not find space for 800 words to allow the book and readers to consider the consideration. The Tuesday essay is sometimes little more than an author penning their own review or a thinly disguised press release and purposeless how I wrote this book themed ding dong. It’s dismaying, most dismaying and readers deserve much better.

I was perturbed to listen to an interview in which the new editor (name to be uncovered in a few clicks… John Stackhouse) described discussing with Geldof and Bono whether to include or remark on Canada’s recent ludicrous stance on maternal heath funding and abortion, otherwise known as the recent shut the fuck up affair. The three males debated and considered and concluded that Africa had more pressing maternal health concerns. (he refers it around 2.06- 2.40 onwards) Be that as it may, I am perturbed that 3 men decide this,  3 men who also do not seem to have an understanding of the words maternal health.

Maternal health considerations must include abortion. Maternal health surely begins with a woman actually wanting to be pregnant. What kind of maternal health, indeed mental health, might ensue if she does not.

But critically our government’s stance should not just be ignored and gauzed over with “far more pressing issues for maternal health and wellbeing… not a pressing concern..”