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The Big Debate: Tweeting about miscarriage

By Lucy Halfhead on Friday 6 November 2009

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Twitter, world news, marie claire

Penelope Trunk, aged 42, sparked outrage this week when she told the world she was having a miscarriage, via Twitter.

Trunk, who has two children and more than 20,000 Twitter followers wrote:

'I'm in a board meeting. Having a miscarriage. Thank goodness, because there's a F***ed-up 3 week hoop-jump to have an abortion in Wisconsin'

Critics have lambasted the mum of two for over-sharing, and for using Twitter to make light of a serious medical issue.

But in an article in Friday's Guardian, Trunk defended herself, saying: 'For me, Twitter is a way to make a note about the most important things that happen in the day. So, I would never have thought this message would cause uproar, but it did.'

Since posting her controversial Tweet, Trunk has lost 70 followers. One of them said:

'I am appalled at Penelope's addiction to Twitter. In the middle of a medical emergency, how narcissistic does an individual have to be that their first thought is not to go to the hospital but to tweet about it? Am I the only one who is shocked by this?'

So what do you think? Was Penelope justified in updating her status and telling us the details of her miscarriage? Or should she have stepped away from her Blackberry and phoned her family instead?

Tell us what you think by posting your comments in the box below

Friday 6 November 2009

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I think Twitter is giving everyone an unjustified "God Complex". Penelope has 20,000 followers, so she probably thinks people are expecting juicy news from her all day long. She chose to share personal information with them, probably thinking they cared, but the sad truth is they are all probably following 1,000 other people and don't really care about the individuals behind the tweet. I would much rather confide in a loved one than a virtual comunity of people I will never meet. Call me 20th Century but Twitter is not for me.
Comment by Anti-tweeter on November 06 11:09

I completely agree with Anti-tweeter about the unjustified God Complex thing. It fuels the narcissist
in people moreso than is healthy.

Personally I hate Twitter and Facebook, teenagers getting obsessed with that sort of thing is one thing but when you hear about how grown men and women are just as addicted that their lives seem to revolve around it is very VERY worrying.

I've seen people at all sorts of social events who were more worried about taking photos to put up on Facebook and updating their Twitter status to let the world know what they were doing than actually enjoying the event. I mean, who would actually consider it normal to stop a conversation among friends in a pub to 'check their twitter'?

I cringed the first time I saw a glossy women's magazine mention Facebook and Twitter and now it's so embedded into our culure that this addictive and somewhat descructive behaviour in many cases (people getting fired over their online comments, for example) is accepted as the norm.
Comment by Jade on November 06 12:44

I too agree with the previous 2 posts. I cannot for the life of me understand why anybody would be egotistical enough to feel that others are so interested in their every minor move. I have a certain (although not a great deal) of understanding in people's interest if the person is very well known. But for everyday people???

Yes, maybe I'm getting old but what has happened to simply sharing your experiences with real life people you actually know who have a genuine interest in you away from the pc? It seems that these sites are a means of one upmanship whereby 'my life is better than yours because I have x followers/post/tweets/pics of me completely wasted etc'!

Just can't see the appeal myself - even my 13 year old thinks it is pointless. Also can't understand how these people manage to get everything else in their lives done if they are constantly online posting.
Comment by Perplexed on November 06 14:00

Never mind over sharing or making light of a medical issue - how about the fact that a human life, her child's as it happens, has just been lost, and she's telling the world "thank-goodness"?
Comment by Grace Dalton on November 06 17:14

Penelope made a very valid point about how awful it is that women in Wisconsin have to jump through hoops to get an abortion. It's no wonder she felt relieved- I would too if I were in her shoes. Whether or not somebody feels something is personal really depends on the individual. Naturally if a woman wanted her to keep her baby, miscarraige would be a deeply personal and emotional thing, but for someone like her, who only felt relief that the pregnancy was over and anger at the legal system, she was totally justified in sharing her feelings on the matter and making that political statement.
Comment by Kris on November 07 09:45

I agree with all comments although I am facebook freak myself..I am 24 and I am always getting all the gossip about ppl from FB plus uploading pics and annoying some of my friends through FB that I have fell out with just to let them no I have been having fun and I don't miss them..lol in addition to that FB has caused me alot of drama with friends, work colleagues and family that knew what I was hiding through FB and thats when my friends tag me in photos or write on my wall. Lately I decided to not share my whole life on FB!!!
But for Penelope to post a personal comment on twitter maybe she was waiting for the ambulance and probably wasn't in pain and decided to waste time...it is personal and serious but she obviously doesn't care so why should we!!!
The for Goodness sake comment I don't blame her for saying that she is 42 too old to have a baby and already has kids.
Comment by Facebook Addict on November 08 01:35

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