Governor Palin Briefly Considered Aborting Trig
On Thursday night Governor Palin admitted that she briefly considered ending her pregnancy with her Down Syndrome child, Trig:
“For a fleeting moment,” she considered having an abortion after learning that her son Trig would have Down syndrome. The experience, she added, “now lets me understand a woman’s, a girl’s temptation to maybe try to make it all go away. . . I had just enough faith to know that my trying to change the circumstances wasn’t any answer,” said Palin, the featured speaker before 3,000 people at a banquet in Evansville.
I’m fairly heartened to hear Governor Palin say these things. To me it adds nuance and complexity to the reality that is motherhood in America today that a strict, political platform presentation of pro-life views cannot. Governor Palin was certainly not ready for the limelight back in September—no one could have expected her to address something like this in the heat of the campaign. And despite my serious misgivings about her, sincerity like this warms me a bit more towards Governor Palin in 2012. Faith and Doubt do in fact work hand-in-hand and that’s something better for the world to see than rhetorical hope and change.
That is an honest statement on her part. Of course many would consider making the “problem” go away–until they grasp the problem is a human being.
I was a fan of Governor Palin. He chances of being President or a nominee are slim, there has been an unrelenting grinding attack on her that frankly makes it unlikely she could ever get the numbers to get a nomination. I am not saying it is impossible, but it would take a serious commitment like Reagan did (in studying, focusing and working towards the goal of promoting conservative principals). I am not sure she has that fire or drive to do that. But then again, you never know. She might suprise us all again.
But I still like her. She did not deserve the vicious attacks that have been done to her and her family. Camile Paglia is correct, the attacks on her were way beyond the pale. I am not talking about honest disagreement, I mean those promoting Trig Trutherism and other lies. Those attacks were disgraceful and I have not forgotten who was behind them. Those individuals are hypocrites and should never be trusted again.
It’s very moving to hear Sarah Paylin’s personal insights into her pregnancy.
And that is great that she is blessed to have the means and the resources to bring that child into the world and care for it to live as productive a life possible.
What a great country we live in where Sarah Palin can make that choice freely with her family, her conscience, and her God.
I think that is a great choice she made.
And it is great that she made it based on her morals and beliefs and not influenced in any way by the threat of state interference or violence or imprisonment between her and her medical doctors during pregnancy.
Choice is a great thing! Choice is a ppowerful thing. And choice is an American thing. Sarah Paylin herself is proof of it. As Oprah herself would say: You go girlie!!!!
No, choice is not a great thing in and of itself. If she chose to kill, then state intervention and imprisonment are appropriate responses.
Not all choices are equal. Some choices deserve to be denied.
If “Choice is a great thing”, the Black Avenger cannot (logically, at least) oppose the “choice” of someone who chooses to kill him. He cannot (logically, again) insist that the state protect him from someone else’s “choice (that) is a great thing”.
Palin could be the next Oprah, but not POTUS or VPOTUS. I like her.
Black Avenger says: “I think that is a great choice she made.”
Trig agrees with you. Unfortunately under our current legal system, he had no say in the matter. He was just one of the lucky ones.
To Johnathon R and Bill 1912: my friends, with respect, I feel your logic based on my logic does not flow. One does not have the freedom to make choices that intentionally afflict physical harm on another independent person. Try we may, until a 2 month old fetus is recognized with some form of citizenship, it is not considered another person. It is living tissue within a person with the potential to become life. The state can no more tell a person what they can do with their own body than tell a person they cannot smoke a cigarette or take a drink. It is their own body.
I already hear the counter argument. But unlike where the state can limit one’s bodily choices such as preventing the trade in illegal drugs or drunk driving, with abortion it is impossible to argue greater harm is afflicted to society. After all, the harm to society is no worse than one using a condom to begin with. Are we going to really go Stalinist and stop that? I believe strongly in individual freedom. To believe otherwise seems like a slippery slope in the direction of Nazi Germany. Thank God our country is not like that and the medical profession and the state are two separate entities!
And to you Michael, your very words make my point.
“Trig agrees with you. Unfortunately under our current legal system, he had no say in the matter.”
No my friend. Trig did not agree. In fact I would say he remained very silent on the issue at the time. He did not have a working mouth at the time. Or a working brain. Or a working body. Or the ability to do pretty much anything. Trig was a months old fetus then with only the potential to eventually become human life if properly nurtured by the women carrying it. The day a two month old fetus can start talking and express opposition to an abortion, is the day I will become anti-choice too.
I personally would not choose an abortion after the first trimester, if I were a lady, of course! I take care of my ladies. Pregnancy is a serious thing and ought to be respected and prevented as much as possible. I consider myself just as much pro-life as you. Abortion should be safe legal and rare: but individual rights of citizens must be respected by our state.
It is a fun issue to argue and I respect the passion found here. I really do. But my friends outside of forums like this where we debate for the love of knowledge, this is a settled issue. Please instead work to limit abortions by helping poor people. We need more government programs to help the people who usually are the ones that end up having abortions. Not more of a capitalist private sector that usually sends the message to them that we don’t care about your life any way just your money! You are spitting into the wind to think otherwise. I respect your passion my friends. I only wish you use it on an issue where more needed like civil rights, gender equality, human rights, and opposition to torture and genocide. I apologize for going on so long. Thank you for listening. Peace my friends!
The State does not protect anyone from being killed or injured, as many battered women who obtained restraining orders have learned. The most that the State can do is to impose consequences after the fact.
Black Avenger,
I just asked my ten-month old what she thought about the abortion debate. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer. She doesn’t understand the question. Guess I can kill her if she keeps me up tonight, eh?
Some people deciding that some other people are “less human” has a pretty bad history.
“I only wish you use it on an issue where more needed like civil rights…”
Abortion is a civil rights issue, and the number one civil rights issue facing our country today. Our country’s history of denying the recognition of humanity to people based on race makes our denial of humanity based on age all the more shameful. Guess we haven’t learned a thing.
Like I said…