Columnist: Palin faces ‘hatred’ for having child with DS
October 23rd, 2008
From Fox News, Special Report w/Brit Hume:
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer says what’s remarkable about Sarah Palin is the “loathing” and “absolute hatred ” she faces, especially from intellectuals and feminists. He says the depth of this opposition goes far beyond Palin’s status as a conservative woman. Much of it, he says, is directed at her decision to carry to term a child with Down syndrome.
An excerpt:
KRAUTHAMMER: What’s remarkable about the reaction to Palin is not only the unfavorable. It’s the loathing, the absolute hatred that you hear, especially from intellectuals, feminists, sort of east coast, west coast, pointy headed. And this is because -
… The viciousness with which she was attacked as a contradiction in terms, a conservative woman.
In Palin’s case, I think what adds to it is her decision at her age with four other children to have a down syndrome child. This, too, as Joseph Epstein wrote, in feminist circles if abortion is not about this, what’s it about?
And they look at her as sort of a back room – a backwater hick, who, for religious reasons, went ahead and had a child that they would never have.
Underneath it, I think, deep underneath it, I think it’s a self-loathing on the part of these feminists, knowing that what she did is virtuous and a generous act that they would have never have undertaken. And her having undertaken it is an affront to them, a silent rebuke.
(Washington Post photo)
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October 25th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I’m a single mom with a son with Down Syndrome who was prenatally diagnosed. I’m also one of many pro-choice women I’ve met who’ve made the same choice. I consider myself a liberal and intend to vote for Barack Obama. I also have to say that the only person I know who did abort after a prenatal diagnosis is a distant in-law who will be voting for John McCain.
What many ‘pro-life’ people I have met refuse to acknowledge is that there were fewer abortions in the U.S. under Clinton than there were under George W. Bush. If you’re really a proponent for the unborn you should help us to restore this country to the way it was before Bush economics ruined it! Barack Obama and Joe Biden know how to do this.
One of the reasons Sarah Palin annoys me is because of how she behaved before her son Trig’s birth. Before my son was born I was warned not to fly or risk in any way a premature birth. My doctor and I wanted to give my son as good a start as possible. We chose a hospital that had a strong pediatric cardiac and surgical department. By flying to Texas in her eighth month of pregnancy to make a speech and then not getting immediate medical attention when her water broke, she risked her baby’s life. I don’t consider that pro-life behavior at all.
October 24th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I know that on at least one progressive blog, twice in the last month someone went on and posted absolutely vile things about Trig. Both time within minutes there were hundreds of comments, all demanding that the posts were taken down — which they were. People’s remarks were that children and choices were out of bounds.
In my experience, the narrative that liberals are anti-disability really doesn’t stand up under scrutiny. That’s like saying all conservatives are _______ist (you name the issue.) Doesn’t fly.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I for one resent the use of the words “virtuous and generous” to describe giving birth to one’s child. It is certainly not how I would describe myself – I would use words like fortunate and happy to have welcomed my child after a prenatal dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and a heart defect. Framing Sarah Palin as some kind of saint for welcoming Trig does more harm than good, implying that this is a burden to be taken on only by the righteous. I am sure she herself does not feel that way. But I will tell you that in assisting other women with a prenatal diagnosis, questions about insurance, medical costs, therapies and benefits most certainly do come up as people worry about the realities of life – I have not heard parents grappling with virtue and whether they feel generous.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Really? Really? You think that I, a liberal woman, find Sarah Palin distasteful because she chose to have her child knowing he had Downs? Wow.
I guess you haven’t heard that it is choice we believe in. When I became pregnant after a rape I chose not to abort my child. But I would never expect someone else to just suck it up and deal with it. It was terribly painful and my marriage was mortally damaged because of it but it was also terribly worth it. For me.
So far as my reasons for having a repulsion to Ms Palin it has everything to do with her lack of knowledge, her cutesy way of dismissing important questions and her very obvious lack of respect for the opinions of those unlike herself.
This child. This beautiful little boy who is being paraded around like some trophy or passed around like a sack of potatoes deserves a mother who gets it. Who is willing to fight for his well being and future.
He is not a pawn. Or a political tool. He is a child. A gift. That you would use him as an excuse to go after those unlike yourselves is ugly and disgraceful. May God help you all.
October 24th, 2008 at 10:14 am
This kind of rhetoric and follow-up makes me extremely angry.
As a liberal woman who is pro-choice, not pro-abortion, I think it’s disingenuous to say that the anger at Sarah Palin is due to the fact that she didn’t abort her son Trig. No, she didn’t and that’s a great thing for her family.
I can only speak for myself in saying that there’s not anything more inherently wonderful about her because she’s the mother of a child with DS. When I had my daughter with DS, I did not become heroic or a saint for being her mom. I don’t get extra points because I’m the parent of a child with special needs. This kind of thinking (e.g., that parents of children with special needs are somehow ‘other’ or ‘more’ than “regular” parents) is problematic to say the least.
Abortion as a hot topic for this election and in general, is not an easy topic for either side to discuss. Additionally, abortion (legal or not) has occurred since time immemorial so I doubt whether it will ever truly be gone, regardless of whether Roe v Wade is overturned.
What I would like to say regarding it (and I’d say that most of us who chose to be pro-choice stand) is:
1. Abortion is a choice made by women in bad situations. It’s usually due to lack of education (whether in general or for a particular circumstance, e.g., for a prenatal diagnosis of DS), socioeconomic status, health, etc. The circumstances are bad, not the women.
2. Abortion is usually not the preferred method of birth control.It occurs because a woman has found herself in a situation where all choices are bad. What does it say that in these circumstances, abortion is the least bad choice? It says that as a society, we’re sorely lacking in the education, and social fabric necessary to support women in crisis.
3. For those who say that abortion is against God’s will, I say, maybe not. How does anyone know that by putting a women into a circumstance where abortion is the (seemingly) best choice, that God isn’t teaching a lesson? That the lesson comes from making and living with that difficult choice?
4. Just as I will stand up for all people for their free speech rights or their right to freely bear arms or to believe in the death penalty, I will also defend a woman’s right to choose. Each woman deserves the same right, whether or not I agree or would make the same choice. It’s the ultimate in Monday Morning Quarterbacking to say that in similar circumstances I would not have an abortion.
Having had the decision before me (prenatal diagnosis of DS), I know that my choice was right for me and my family. I know that it wouldn’t be that way for other families and I shouldn’t expect that it ever could be.
5. The eugenics issue about prenatal diagnosis is an ugly slippery slope. I think the fact there is a high rate of termination for prenatal diagnosis of handicapped fetuses that it speaks more to the degradation of social fabric and the designation of ‘other’ as well as a lack of education/information made available about different conditions than it does about the woman considering abortion. Fear, ignorance, uncertainty, and a rush to decide (to make a termination deadline) makes for situations where bad choices are made.
6. Taking away choice for a woman is to subjugate her to second class status (again/still). It’s bad enough that we don’t make the same or have the glass ceiling. We don’t need anyone — men, other women, etc. — telling us what we can and can’t do with our bodies.
Liberal women don’t loathe her because we have some underlying guilt because Sarah Palin’s choice is “a silent rebuke”; liberal women (at least this liberal woman) are angry that her “virtuous and generous act” is being made into some story of heroism or that she’s some kind of ubermother.
It is not a virtuous or generous act not to abort your child; just as having a child with DS does not make her any more qualified to speak for all families with special needs.
It’s extremely frustrating, this divisiveness between Americans. I’m tired of feeling under attack because I’m for a woman’s right to choose (for some of the many reasons above), while my own personal choices are pro-life. I’d guess that many conservatives feel under attack (and from the comments above it would seem that way) for similar (but opposite) reasons. It’s time for people to step up, become informed about the positions of liberals/conservatives, because I doubt that if liberals will get into office that it will be an abortion field day while at the same time Roe v. Wade won’t be overturned if conservatives get into office.
Instead, let’s work at not attacking sides and work towards ending abortion through better education (especially for prenatal diagnosis of DS or other handicaps), rebuilding the social fabric, and, most importantly, compassion for one another.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:06 am
I also wanted to add that in the past 8+ years that Down syndrome has been a part of my life I have been online daily talking to women who share T21 as part of their lives.
And for 5 of those years I talked extensively to women who had received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and were weighing their options. There were many pro-life women that I “met” who chose abortion. The scenario changes for many when it becomes personal and when a medical diagnosis is involved they seem to be able to rationalize their choice. I also heard many stories of clergy who supported the family’s decision to abort.
To assume that only pro-life supporters carry to term or that pro-choice supporters choose eugenics is simply ignorant and not the reality at all.
October 24th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I am a pro-choice woman, who had a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and never considered abortion.
That is my choice…that is what pro-choice is all about. I do not ever want a government to tell me that I need to abort because of a disability. The government should not be involved in women’s choices that stem from their faith and their belief systems.
I am a Christian and my beliefs and love of my savior dictate every move I make through out the day. I want to continue to have freedom to worship and make those choices.
However I also realize that there are many people who do not hold my same beliefs….I do not want to force my beliefs on someone. Their faith would be shallow if they did not come to know the Lord for themselves in His time, their time.
I am vocal and share my beliefs openly, but never force or act hateful because that is not what Jesus taught.
I find it odd that Jesus teaches to take care of our brothers and sisters and those in need, and yet conservatives want to hold so tightly onto their own money and not allow the government to help those in our society who need it. They say let charities do it, but we have seen that it simply does not work that way.
I would gladly give 50% of our family’s earnings to have a safer, more tolerant, equal, loving society to live in. And actually we give way above what we are called to give by the government or the Bible. I thank God daily that He placed my husband in my life who easily gives to those in need.
I will vote for Obama because his policies are for the better of society as a whole, not just the elite.
Policies that help pregnant women to prepare and care for their unborn babies will reduce abortions in greater numbers than the hateful rhetoric we so often hear spewed from the conservative right that claims to be followers of Jesus.That’s not the Jesus that I know and read of daily.
October 24th, 2008 at 7:37 am
This election is all about abortion? Seriously? It’s only all about abortion for the extreme right, Palin’s base. That’s it. The rest of us are sick of talking about it.
There are serious economic issues. We’re bleeding jobs and retirement savings. We’re involved in a ridiculous war in Iraq, while the Afghanistan war is another mess. How many innocent lives are going to be lost there while we are doing a pathetic job of finding bin Laden.
This election is about most of America — not the extreme liberals who want to force abortion, not the extreme religious right who want to eliminate it, even if the mother dies.
And Palin just doesn’t reach most of us with her “cut all the services” – we’re not going to help you in any way. She just wants to take our taxes, go to war, support big business destroy the middle class and make sure no one has an abortion. Small government for what you need; big government to control your body.
There are those who seriously want to require abortions when the baby is going to have Down syndrome, and that is sick. The whole eugenics, slippery slope is frightening and brings the movie Gattica to mind. You have to seriously wonder if that’s the future and what the true human experience would then be. And they are certainly coming out of the woodwork now that they have a target like Sarah Palin and Trig.
The worst part of it is that she’s a perfect target. She comes off as ill-informed and unpresidential. They can make her choice of having Trig as only because she’s so right-wing and anti-abortion, as the right treats her like a saint.
Well – I have an 11 year old child with Down syndrome, and I’m not a saint. I love having him in our family. It’s not about pity or bearing some huge burden. He is very opinionated, active and a huge part of our family.
There are lots of women who are aetheists or less than religious, pro-choice and also the mother of a child with Down syndrome. We’re not all anti-abortion activists, and it’s a shame that that’s the image that’s being projected through Sarah Palin – because that is to me what makes her such an easy target for the extremists to make the argument that we only keep kids with DS because of our religious beliefs.
October 24th, 2008 at 3:27 am
I’d encourage everyone for whom disability rights are an important issue to click over to the McCain/Palin website to check out the Disability Issues tab and check out the candidates’ specific legislative records on disability. Ditto for the Obama/Biden website. While you’re at it, do a little research on both tickets’ health care proposals with individuals with disabilities and pre-existing conditions in mind.
I don’t know what Charles Krauthammer’s academic credentials are, but I can tell you that some of the “loathing” that certain “intellectuals, feminists, sort of east coast, west coast, pointy headed” people feel for Palin has a lot to do with categorizations exactly like this one, which suggest that somehow it’s a bad thing to be an intellectual, to be from the east or west coast, to think about issues seriously and deeply.
As a parent of a child with a disability — my elder daughter was diagnosed with Down syndrome prenatally just as Trig Palin was — it has been my responsibility to educate myself on all of these issues, about which I think deeply and, although I’m not from either coast, I do approach both emotionally and intellectually.
Sadly, all too many people who call themselves “pro-life,” in addition to those who call themselves “pro-choice” believe that abortion is the best option in cases of prenatal diagnoses like the ones Sarah Palin and I received.
We advocates for those with Down syndrome have a lot of work to do to address the underlying fears and misperceptions about what life is like with Down syndrome.
To paint this as a “liberal” problem, or one that’s affiliated primarily with one political party or ideology misses the larger problem.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I agree and will continue to question this liberal “philosophy” that somehow is able to rationalize eugenics as being about a “choice”.
This is an especially slippery slope as genetic testing becomes more accurate and easier to administer — tests which may soon be able to predict life expectancy, hair color and personality?
How far will some parents go to ensure a genetically “perfect” zygote? Who is going to protect the most innocent of victims if abortion limitations are lifted? What does this say about us as a society if we condone and allow someone to discard a fetus simply because the child has a so-called disability? Why must we so flagrantly disregard God’s plan for us?
I challenge Senator Obama and any of the liberal attackers of Govenor Palin to go spend some actual time with individuals with disabilities and answer their questions about abortion and why so many people do not give these babies a chance — especially since Sen Obama claims to have a strong platform and commitment towards people with disabilities. His State of Illinois ranks 51st in monies towards people with disabilities.
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Mr. Krauthammer summed up this entire campaign since Gov. Palin has entered it. It is all about abortion and giving a face to the aborted whether they be past, present, or future aborted children.
The Liberal establishment cannot afford to have Gov. Palin anywhere near the White House. If she was, there would be a strong momentum shift in opposition to abortion.
If liberalism is anything it is certainly about abortion and the ability to procure the procedure no matter the circumstances. I fear that if Obama and Bidden are elected there will be a direct effort to “reduce the number” of handicapped children in our country through the extended use of abortion.
May God help our society should this happen. All life is precious in God’s eyes.