richard is my boyfriend - channel 4 last night..

[missjef]

did anyone watch this? if so what were your opinions of it?
i found some scene's to be quite disturbing especially the bit after her mother had given her the abortion pill.

[philandlil]

I thought it was very good and very well acted.
I was shocked when she gave her that pill, i didn't think she would go through with it. I liked the fact that it was unpredictable and i didn't know what was going to happen at the end. Also it made me think about what i would choose for her, i kept changing my mind.
what would your decision be missjef?

[missjef]

its a really tough predicament, i agreed with the dad saying that she shouldnt be kept inside all the time and should be allowed to have friends and maybe relationships if she wanted.. but on the other hand she only had the mental age of a 5 year old, so someone might abuse that fact. plus with a mental age of 5 how could she fully consent to sexual activities if she wasnt comepletely aware of what exactly they were, and she wouldnt be able to protect herself.
so im not sure! its a really tough choice. it would be unfair to her and the baby if she had gone through with the pregnancy though or became pregnant again, though i think her mother maybe should have gone through it a different way other than what she did maybe.

i hope there will be more programs like this still to come! i read there is one in the pipeline about a father who has abused his kids and how it afects the family.

did you watch i think it was called Secret life? with Matthew Macfayden (?) playing a peadophile? i found that to be very disturbing, especially the end with just the rope swinging.

[philandlil]

No I didn't watch Secret life, i only knew about Richard is my boyfriend because i had read about it in the free paper you get on Trains.

I think she should have been steralised then she could have been chaperoned when with men and only allowed alone with men that had been pre-approved by one of her parents.
I don't think it was fair to stop her going to the care centre as she got to interact with other people maybe her mum or dad could have gone with her a few days a week.

[ermintrude35]

..I watched this and it was one of the best things I've seen on tv for a while.... VERY well acted, with real lawyers, doctors and socil workers.... very moving ... I felt the mother just wanted to keep her daughter a child and lock her away form the rest of the world...not even allowed to wear lipstick! ... I have a friend who has Downs, she comes to work 2 days a week, she has a boyfriend ( 4 years and still going strong) who buys her roses and jewellry, she comes out with us on staff do's and has a couple of halves of lager, her parents are very well adjusted and treat her as a young adult....

[cassie102]

i watched it , and i thought the acting was so superb , that i felt myself start to question whether it was a drama or a real life documentary! ive never seen a programme like it . Very graphic but hard hitting .

[RFoz32]

Hi I watched the beginning of it but fell asleep when the dad was trying to discuss the girl's steralisation Can anyone tell me how it ended?
Thanks

[missjef]

the mother won the case in the end. hope that might help you.