Sarah Palin gave very colourful accounts of her "pregnancy" with Trig and the doubts she had early in the pregnancy at the Indiana gig.
In segment 5 of her speech, she refers to critics twice, citing them as the reason to keep the pregnancy secret. Sarah Palin is confusing more recent events and criticism with what was really going on back in March 2008, when she announced the happy news. At that stage she was still very popular and nobody criticized her for being pregnant.
People were surprised because she was as flat as a board, but no one had any criticism regarding her pregnancy. Sarah Palin also referred to the critics as Neanderthals. I found the remark very ironic. After all, Neanderthal thinking is associated with the more conservative types... Republicans, as a matter of fact. What was she trying to say?
Sarah Palin said that she didn't know what Trig was going to look like. She must have led a very sheltered life. Any woman of childbearing age knows what a child with Down's Syndrome looks like, women over forty in particular. Nobody knows what children are going to look like until they arrive. We expect them to look like their parents or siblings. But she was talking about that extra chromosome and the remark came across as a bit... stupid.
Sarah Palin said she felt a love she never felt before. As a mother of four she had at least four opportunities to feel that kind of love. Her other children may take issue with that statement...
The other platitude was saying that Trig was the best thing that ever happened to her. A child with special needs is not the best thing that happens in anybody's life. It's not the worst thing, but saying it's the best is shallow, it's a soundbite. This kind of statement is a slap in the faces of numerous parents who struggle to bring up children with disabilities in less fortunate circumstances. They love their special children but wouldn't go as far as saying it's the best thing ever. Sarah Palin makes the whole issue sound trite. The fact that she slashed funding for special needs projects and turned down stimulus money for these projects speaks louder than her empty words.
Sarah Palin said she had doubts and contemplated a termination. That's just another soundbite to plug her faith. She had a moment of weakness but God showed her the way and she chose life. Her anti-choice stance would lead to removing this kind of "temptation" from all women's lives, if only she had the power to bring it about. It's interesting to consider that she had the choice to walk into a safe, well equipped clinic to go through a termination. She would like to remove that option, reverse Roe vs Wade and ban abortions at state level.
Sarah Palin's struggle was kept between her and her God. God chose life. Wonderful!
Women who don't have such a close relationship with God or don't have as comfortable a life as Sarah Palin may come to a different choice.
I have never heard of a single woman who had an abortion for fun. Abortion is an invasive procedure that's not taken lightly. In Sarah Palin's world, a victim of rape, sometimes by a close relative, would have to go through every single day of a pregnancy, feeling the baby grow, feeling every movement, every kick, then go through labour to produce a baby in order to bless a childless couple with the gift of life. She would have to feel her breasts fill with milk for the baby of the man who violated her, took away her confidence and a great part of her life and self.
It may be less dramatic for a woman who was not raped, but pregnancy is no picnic, giving up a baby is not easily done. Choices are made for the women themselves and on behalf of their babies. It's not an easy choice.
Sarah Palin made HER choice and should be able to respect other women's choices.
Trivializing other people's experiences to score political points with her base is a punch below the belt. Nobody interfered with Sarah Palin's choices and the least she could do is have some respect for women who make choices different from her own.For someone who goes on and on about government keeping out of people's lives I find her position a little bit contradictory. Sarah Palin is very keen to pass laws that would interfere in people's lives at a very basic level.
Provide funds for decent sex education? No. Provide funds for projects aimed at helping families facing the challenge of bringing up children with special needs? No.
Being judgemental and meddling in people's private lives in the name of God? Yes.
Sarah Palin should keep her God out of politics and her lies to herself.
Videos of Indiana speech
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Regina,
ReplyDeleteYour description of the pregnancy, labor and post-partum of a rape victim broke my heart.
Sarah has no empathy at all. It's all about her, always. She uses evrything and everybody, including her daughters babies.
Regina - You most certainly have hit the nail on the head, at least for me. As the mother of a special needs child (now adult), I would NEVER say that it's the best thing that ever happened him, my family or to me. I love him unconditionally. However, it's quite difficult for everyone involved, especially him. And for anyone to say it's a "blessing" and a "gift from God" is, just right down to the dirt, bull. What kind of "blessing" is it to, and for, the child who is born with lifelong disabilities? Would I have terminated the preganancy had I known? I don't know. Like I said, I love him uncondtionally but he has to live with it EVERY DAY. However, I do believe that being FORCED to proceed with a pregnancy that has occurred in any situation, whether rape, incest, or just because (and, truly, this is very difficult for me and probably I will take some heat for it) should be left to the woman who needs to be making the decision - NOT the government. And so there it is. Whew!
ReplyDeleteI find it strange that she 'discovered' she was pg while attending an oil & gas meeting out of Alaska, and only she and her doctor knew. Last time I checked a pg test only takes a few minutes. So..did.she have the test in Wasilla & her dr knew, or did she do a home pg test, in which case her doctor did not know? Somethings not right.
ReplyDeleteOn adoption you said: "childless COUPLE", Sarah's words: "adopting PARENTS"......I believe that she understands the situation.
ReplyDeleteI also believe she was making a case in her own defense should Trig be proven not to be her own.
Forever.(not a fan of GINO)
By her own words, she"thought about" termination.
ReplyDeleteYet she is now vocally screeching from the rafters to DENY the same right to any other woman - the right of CHOICE that SHE had.
Typical bully - she can have the right but she denies it to others.
What a witch she is. How arrogant she is. How hypocritical.
Excellent post... really a powerful discussion of the issues here. The way I see it, Palin is presenting herself as "holier-than-thou", to imply that the choice of abortion must be taken away from all those women who aren't holy like her.
ReplyDeleteIf Trig is the "best thing" to happen to her, it's only because she treats him like a living prop. She doesn't even get him proper medical care, from what I've heard. (For all you ethics students out there: is it worse to abort a child with a developmental disorder, or have the kid but treat him carelessly and neglectfully while presenting yourself as a pillar of family values?)
The fact that this abortion would've been out-of-state and completely covert should give us pause, too. Would Palin make something like this up? If anyone would, she would. Even if Trig really is her child, her story once again seems a bit spurious, another attempt at painting herself as pro-life and pro-family when people are beginning to see that she isn't.
I could stand up and applaud every word you said!! How can these people be so against government intervention but want to take away a womans very serious choice over her own body! I do not believe any womanchises abortion lightly. And no sex education is stupid!!!!!!!! I cringe every single time palin says her daughter is practicing abstinence!!!!
ReplyDeletePalin is a huge opportunist. She is using this story and her children for her own political situation! She makes me sick. This is the reason why it's so important for the truth regarding Trigs parentage to come out. Her story is nonsense clearly! I am sorry for her children, I really am, but she has to be stopped! Her lies need to be revealed. She is dangerous on so many levels and should not be in any position of power period!
Oh look...prop baby.
ReplyDeleteThis poor child is dragged around like a sack of flour.
She needs to go to the zoo and watch some real parenting.
She's not a mom - she's an abuser for her own purposes.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for your post...Palin's speech made my ears bleed with all its fakeness, lies, and salady double talk.
ReplyDeleteTrig is not getting the care he needs...his main caregivers are Bristol, an 18 year old high school dropout, and Toad the house husband who never even went to college. DS babies need daily physical therapy, and a host of other interventions to ensure they reach age milestones.
She makes me ill
Why isn't that kid wearing the glasses that she thought were "how cute is that" two months ago?
ReplyDeleteProp Baby
ReplyDeleteProp Baby
Trailer Trash holding Prop Baby.
Fs- From pictures and video's I have seen- it looks more like Piper gets to play mommy and drag little Trig around.
ReplyDeleteIf you watch Greta's interview with Palin- Sarah makes and attempt to "parent Piper' about how to care for Trig- it's so fake she can hardly get the words out. It's obvious her lame attempt at parenting was for the cameras.
I believe that Palin flew during labor with Trig- knowing that he was special needs and might need emergency care- so that she could put 'his life in God's hands" and if she happened to lose him by flying around and not getting to a hospital and giving him proper care- it would be "God's will'.
As for Palin's claims about why she didn't tell people- it's absurd and only for show. She didn't even tell her own children that she knew she was having a special needs baby!!!!
So Bristol was old enough to have sex with her bf but not to be told about Trig? Who keeps that from a 17 yr old? Perhaps someone who is hoping for a different outcome?