The heroic Gov. and Mr. Palin
Tuesday April 22, 2008
Categories: Culture
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin just gave birth, a bit prematurely, to her fifth child. The little baby boy has Down syndrome, as she revealed later. In a family statement, the Palins said: "Trig is beautiful and already adored by us....
Filed Under: Abortion, Down syndrome
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Governor Palin is my Gov who I got to know via pro-life work. She is a wonderful, down to earth woman, and we are thrilled for their family on their new addition.
It'll never happen, but Palin would be a brilliant pick for McCain's Veep.
I agree that children with Down's syndrome can be a blessing. My little girl has a child in her class with Down's syndrome. The public school pays for an aid who stays with her during the day. She's pulled out of the class during much of the day, but she's very much a member of the class. Public schools are so wonderful in that they are required to educate those who are mentally challenged. It might challenge the district financially, but I'm sure that it benefits the mother/parent who doesn't abort the baby. I wish more people could see how well the children with disabilities are treated in our public schools. It might make people less afraid to have a baby born with a disability.
Palin rocks.
It was a true pleasure to watch her shred two men in the governor's debate. It's a pro-choice state, and they thought they had her number and hit her hard. She didn't back down an inch, and they left the debate broken men. And looked cute while she did it (psss...she even wears skirts, Hillary!).
After that debate, I heard a pollster say the only way she could possibly lose the election was if she cried. Again, Hillary should take note.
If only there were a way for families and children with disabilities to know they have excellent health care that could never be taken away . . .
And I wonder how to reconcile mdavid's admiration of the Palins with his previous statements that IQ is everything.
I wonder how to reconcile mdavid's admiration of the Palins with his previous statements that IQ is everything.
Connie, you lie. I've made no such previous statements. I guess it's easier to try and put words into sombody's mouth than lose an honest debate, eh? Personally, I wonder how you can justify drive-by-slander with any personal self-esteem; sheese, it it really worth it?
If you can come up with a single quote of me saying anything like IQ represents the value of a human being, feel free.
Final point: why not address comments to me directly instead of sniping from the shadows? I'm right here.
Congratulations to the Palin family.
I was 36 when we started our family. I declined the amniocentisis test. One of the obstetricians really pushed it because if it found any defects, I could "start over sooner." The other o.b. told us in confidence, i.e. "don't let on to my co-worker I said this" that after the age of thirty the chances were the baby would test positively for Down's syndrome and spina bifida any way. I take this to mean that many babies are aborted because of false positve tests. Does anyone know or have any statistics on this?
P.S. my son and his sister who followed when I was 39 are both healthy as horses.
Gov. Palin sounds like the type of women most of Rod's readers would love to see run for President, but Simon is right. McCain hasn't the sense to pick her as V.P. and she will probably be a little busy for a while, anyway.
I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant with my third little girl. At 21 weeks I had my big ultrasound, and the maternal-fetal specialist found cysts on my baby's brain and excess water on her kidneys. He was obligated to tell us that the cysts could be indicative of a rare but fatal genetic disorder and that the kidney issue is one marker of Downs Syndrome in case we would want to consider aborting. Even this was a completely unplanned pregnancy, I wouldn't even consider an abortion or doing an amnio at the time as it might have caused complications. I had already felt her moving, and we had already talked about names. And they told me she was a "she" before they told me anything else.
I am reminded of three things by this article.
1. There was a episode of "Roseanne" where DJ asks if he was an accident. Roseanne says, "No you were a surprise. A surprise is something that you don't know you want until you get it." I feel sorry for people who only see children as burdens, instead of blessings.
2. The rich couple I heard about years ago who spent tons of money on in vitro, and when they're baby was born less than perfect, they promptly put her up for adoption. Did they want a child or a perfect accessory?
3. A recent blog post guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes:
http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/04/letter-to-my-daughter.html
I'm not kidding; keep some tissues handy.
I'm currently 37 weeks pregnant with my third little girl. At 21 weeks I had my big ultrasound, and the maternal-fetal specialist found cysts on my baby's brain and excess water on her kidneys. He was obligated to tell us that the cysts could be indicative of a rare but fatal genetic disorder and that the kidney issue is one marker of Downs Syndrome in case we would want to consider aborting. Even this was a completely unplanned pregnancy, I wouldn't even consider an abortion or doing an amnio at the time as it might have caused complications. I had already felt her moving, and we had already talked about names. And they told me she was a "she" before they told me anything else.
In the months since that first ultrasound, I have had two more. By the first one the brain cysts had resolved themselves; at the second one a few weeks ago, they said her kidney issues had resolved. She has never shown any other markers of Downs Syndrome. I know the doctors felt obligated to make me aware of the slightest possibility of a problem (just to protect their own behinds), but I wonder how many women have been scared by those slightest of possibilities into aborting their babies.
I am reminded of three things by this article.
1. There was a episode of "Roseanne" where DJ asks if he was an accident. Roseanne says, "No you were a surprise. A surprise is something that you don't know you want until you get it." I feel sorry for people who only see children as burdens, instead of blessings.
2. The rich couple I heard about years ago who spent tons of money on in vitro, and when their baby was born less than perfect, they promptly put her up for adoption. Did they want a child or a perfect accessory?
3. A recent blog post guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes:
http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/04/letter-to-my-daughter.html
I'm not kidding; keep some tissues handy.
I commend Governor Palin, and I hope that she can be a spokesperson for these issues. We need more attention to issues of disability, and to the ethics of fertility and birth.
I gave birth to our beautiful baby girl on December 4th, two days before my 41st birthday. I did not have genetic testing, because of the risk of miscarriage associated with amnio. Notably, my medical records are plastered with my refusal as being "AMA" (Against Medical Advice).
I conceived a little over two months after I was told by a fertility doctor that I would almost certainly not get pregnant. She advised IVF with a donor egg. Needless to say, my husband and I did not take her advice. I went to an acupuncturist, took herbs, and changed my diet. I was pregnant in seven weeks.
The treatment of couples grappling with these profound ethical issues is unconsciounable. Over and over again, I hear the same stories from other women. How women are badgered to have amnio, despite the risks, even though "termination" of the pregnancy is not an option for them. How fertility doctors hand out drugs like Clomid like candy, despite the side effects and risk of multiples. How fertility doctors push IVF, because that is their cash cow. (By the way, I am an attorney, and my husband is a real estate broker. The doctor thought we were "good candidates" for the $20,000 procedure.)
We were so lucky. So many others aren't.
80% Down's Syndrome abortion rate => 20% of the population is pro-life.
To such as these belongs the Kingdom of Heaven. And until we can wrap our hearts and minds around that concept, we don't really "get" the Kingdom of Heaven.
Barbara, there's a candle burning for you and your baby now, to remind me to pray for you.
Nearly all kids are cute and a blessing when young. What happens when these kids hit 40 or 50 and their parents are dead? Many/most are doing well on their own by then and a lucky few have siblings who help them if they do need care. I get to se a lot of these people who arrive needing care essentially without support. They get stuck in a group home somewhere with barely adequate care. Every time they need medical care it involves restraining them. They never have the same provider twice in a row.
I would consider Gov. Palin a hero if she used her position to make sure these Down's kids get the care they need and deserve for the rest of their lives. Dare she risk the accusation of "nanny state" purveyor? Make sure this is something that works for people who aren't governors with big incomes.
Steve
I would absolutely support increased funding for the care of these people. I would even pay higher taxes for it.
OK, let me get this straight. This is a Republican politician in a generally conservative state. There is nothing to suggest that she won't try for a second term. Sufficiently well-off to afford lots and lots of child care. And everybody here is acting surprised that she did not have an abortion.
Is that about right?
It's not about being surprised that she specifically didn't get an abortion. It's really a sad commentary that there are many people out there that think that children with physical or mental disabilities have nothing to contribute to society and shouldn't be allowed to be born. By the time one even finds out such things about their unborn baby, they have more than likely been feeling the baby move around inside them and seen the full skeletal system and the beating heart of that same child. I, personally, just do not understand how someone could get to that point and then decide to have an abortion.
Governor Palin may have lots of resources, but there are many families out there large and small dealing by choice with one and sometimes multiple children with Downs Syndrome, autism, and a range of physical, mental, and emotional problems who do not have the money and resources of Governor Palin. They are the unsung heroes. That doesn't make Governor Palin's decision to have her "less than perfect" baby any less touching.
In light of 'old shcool' scare tactics: Any possibility that Ms. Sarah Palin may become our President is just a possibility.
It is NOT a statistical probability that Palin might be sworn in as a U. S. President within the next term.
The biased media are making far too much over Palin becoming our next President. Give it a rest.
Palin has taken on political corruption, and not just on the other side of the isle! The fact that Palin is still politically alive and well as a viable Vice Presidential candidate speaks as to why she is respected on both sides of the isle. She has an 80% approval rating!
Fair minded Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike should not allow Palin's to be 'dissed' by haters. And, though it may not mean much to some people, Palin did it all while raising 5 children.
Sarah Palin is NOT an old school conservative. Palin is a social conservative with the vision, will, and energy to conduct non-partisan politics.
Palin is a good choice for V.P. Her credentials as mayor and most notably govenor give her better credentials in my opinion than any US senator. Education and special education are a high priority to me in keeping this country great for generations to come. It seems like more and more of my friends have children with special needs in special education. I hope that Palin will give this some positive attention. I am hoping that Palin will be able to balance her family life in Alaska to the Washington scene. I hope she can do it and keep her private life as strong as her public life.
Good for you Sarah Palin!
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