If you know nothing about

a medical issue then it is probably wiser not to comment on it. To comment on it specifically to make a very nasty remark about someone is something which should not be done at all.

One of the election candidates in this seat has endometriosis. It is a medical condition which can have a very, very serious impact on all aspects of a person's life. It can cause severe pain, fatigue, infertility and depression. It is not something you can "cure", rather something you "manage".

The last time the election candidate was in parliament she joined with a woman on the opposite side of the house to set up a "Parliamentary Friends of Endometriosis Awareness" group. It is one of those activities which show that, behind the scenes in the debating chambers, politicians on opposite sides can and do work together at times. 

The candidate in question happened to mention this and that it had been done in conjunction with a member from an opposing party. It was a very balanced mention, especially at a time when she could have tried to make political mileage out of it. 

Of course someone had to take exception to this and claim she was making a "political" issue out of it. I growled a comment about informing yourself before commenting and padded off to do other things. A number of people "liked" the comment which is I suppose "nice" but it is not why I made it.

I made it because it seems to me that the original commenter was using the situation to make a particularly nasty snide comment about someone they do not wish to see elected. It also seems to me that the same person may or may not be aware of what endometriosis is but they should have informed themselves before making that comment in such a public way. If they have informed themselves and still choose to make that comment then it surely says something far more negative about them than the person they were criticising. 

People with "hidden" disabilities and conditions are often subject to criticisms from others who are unaware of their problems. All too often they will not be believed. Someone I know had a quite serious epileptic seizure in a library recently. I happened to be there at the time. People panicked as they always do. There were demands to call an ambulance, a belief he was "having a stroke" and so on. I knew what was happening. I have seen him like that before. Fortunately one of the librarians knew too. They all know him. The librarian just ordered everyone to leave the area and dealt with the situation. Away from there as people tried to escalate the situation I tried to explain. They did not want to listen. It was all too dramatic and too exciting for that. I wonder what they went home and told their families.  

I went back to the area and, seeing another member of staff, asked if J... wanted someone to sit quietly with him now that the episode was over. I said I knew his partner would come and get him. J...accepted the offer with a weak smile. I just took the book I was using and went on working. His partner turned up about twenty minutes later and with a quiet, "Thanks" they both left. No, I did not do anything special or dramatic. It was just that I happened to be informed about what was going on and what needed to be done. There was no need to make an issue of it.

I wonder how the person who made the snide comment about turning endometriosis into a political issue would have reacted to this if the person who had the seizure had been the candidate? Perhaps I am wrong but my guess is that they would have made a comment about that person not being "suitable" or similar.

Trying to inform the ill-informed about facts rather than opinions is probably a losing strategy. Too often now we are being told "facts" which are actually opinions or which are less than all the facts. Trying to be well informed rather than simply informed is getting increasingly difficult. I just have to hope I get it right.