The only stuff I’ve read about Trig’s glasses and hearing aid has been on the Huffingtonpost which appears to have an unhealthy fixation on Palin and whose moderator approves hate posts about people with Down Syndrome.

But, as you stated, I certainly respect her and her husband for doing what an estimated 10% of people do: have a baby with a pre-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Down syndrome awareness (good or bad) has increased exponentially since her arrival on the national scene.

That’s all I was saying in a previous post.

I have been Googling “news” on Down Syndrome since Google has existed. I used to Yahoo “news”. Up until Palin was nominated, “news” items on Down Syndrome consisted either of 1) new and improved methods to detect Down Syndrome before birth (with NO discussion by the medical establishment on whether testing and abortion was the “right thing to do” – how many articles I read were titled “Breakthrough for Down Syndrome”) and 2) rare news items on Buddy Walks.

After Palin was nominated, I would Google “Down Syndrome” and find thousands of news articles – not the usual 3 or 4. For that alone, I am grateful she was nominated.

However, I soon learned that insulting people with Down Syndrome was politically correct, as per the vicious hate posts about Trig on Huffingtonpost, Daily Kos, Washington Post, etc., all approved by their moderators.

Love her, hate her or just respect her as a parent (as I do), her choice to have Trig honored all our children: yours, mine and Scott’s.

And to your “awareness” point – using that logic I guess we can say Ben Stiller has done much for Down syndrome “awareness” this year as well?

The inability to suspend political loyalties regarding this woman is unreal to me. Liking her or hating her is irrelevant (but it is a point that is CONTINUALLY brought up by her supporters), there are many people whom I disagree with but respect because of their actions (I’ve brought up Pete Session on numerous occasions).

If I can add to your “she’s done more than anyone” point, it is my belief that she has done more than anyone to strike a wedge within the Down syndrome community. She has taken away the discourse regarding Down syndrome issues like early intervention and inclusion and turned it into a debate on abortion rights via her son’s disability.

Honestly, my post offended you?

Re-read it – I didn’t try to justify anything that Sarah Palin does.

Like her or hate her, the fact that Sarah Palin has a child with Down syndrome has done more to raise “awareness” about Down syndrome than many of the things the NDSS does.

That’s not a knock on the NDSS – it’s just reality.

Your post, intentional or unintentional, is kind of offensive to those of us who are involved with the NDSS and do donate our time and effort.

Regarding Sarah Palin, the three primary goals of the National Down Syndrome Society are to promote awareness, acceptance and inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome.

First, you must have awareness before you can have the other two.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional or for better or worse, nobody has done more in the last year – maybe ever – to raise awareness about Down syndrome than the Palin family.

You would think that by now the transition for the adult population into the mainstream would be seamless, but it’s not. However one defines “quality of life” will continue to decide the fate of the unborn.

While you & I lavish the fantasy of seeing our children grow into adulthood with some independence (a safe, assisted-living group home & a job) other people continue to see this as their nightmare.

But I’m not giving up and I’m glad you’re still hanging around, too. Because as long as there are people around like you, I know that my daughter will have some sort of future.

Not to my thinking. To the best of my knowledge, the medical profession does not counsel that people with cerebral palsy, people with autism, people with any number of disabilities that cannot be detected in utero (and are at least as debilitating as Down Syndrome), be euthanized when the disability is diagnosed after birth. Unlike Down Syndrome and spina bifida and the other disabilities that can be detected through prenatal testing (including, as you say, your daughter’s disability). Massive prenatal screening, the pressure brought to bear on pregnant women by a medical profession which – in my 25 years of experience – has become increasingly NON-supportive of people with Down Syndrome, result in abortion rates of 90%.

hsiehale: I don’t really think I can judge the motives of anyone else. Palin kept her baby and like most women in that situation, she probably received considerable medical advice in favor of abortion. Whatever her “motives”, the reality is that she had her son, and she is proud of him. He is VISIBLE.

I’m sure I would prefer a politician who is more in line with my political views, to have a child with Down Syndrome of whom they are equally proud, whom they “flaunt”. Unfortunately, the politician/father of a child with DS I most admire was — hélas — another right-winger: Charles de Gaulle.