STEPPING ON TOES

I have to say that I'm a little surprised at the big deal being made about Sarah Palin choosing to have a child that she knew would have Down Syndrome.

I guess I'm surprised because it would never for one second enter my mind to terminate a pregnancy because the baby was going to be imperfect; and that makes it hard for me to fathom anybody else's choice to do just that. You know, sometimes you have a belief that is so ingrained in you, so much a part of your spirit, that it really is hard to see that there's another view.

Yes, Sarah Palin's choice, in my mind was the right one but I suspect, like me and so many other conservatives it really wasn't a choice. I suspect she didn't have to give it any thought or take time to "consider her options."

I suspect, like me and so many other conservatives, she probably said "It's my child. There are no options." Or something like that.

After all, which of us, which of our children, was born perfect, without flaw? And for those of us who did give birth to children who had no special needs, are we suddenly going to give up on them if, God forbid, something happened to them that suddenly placed them in the "Special Needs" category? If our "perfect" children suddenly became "imperfect" are we going to somehow pawn them off on somebody else because they have become an inconvenience and no longer fit into our family's or society's idea of "perfect?" Are we suddenly going to say "it's not fair to make them live a life of suffering" or "I'm not equipped to handle the needs of such a child?"

If Sarah Palin had terminated her pregnancy because her child was going to have special needs; if she and her husband had decided they weren't able to handle such demands or that it was not fair to bring a child into this world who would have needs greater than the average child, then what would that say about how they viewed their other children? Would it have said they were loved and cherished as long as they were healthy and convenient? Would it have said that as long as they looked like the average American child and had no scars or features that marred their stereotypical American beauty, then they would be loved? But as soon as there's an accident, as soon as something tragic happens and those children interfere with their lives and their ideals, then what?

You're on thin ice, children. We love you now, but if you have an accident that inconveniences us for the rest of our lives...you're out of here!! Only perfect children for us!

And that's where I have a problem with terminating a pregnancy because a child has been determined to be "imperfect." Everyday, we are all at risk of losing our health. Every day we are all at risk of something happening that will require us to live at the mercy of those around us. And yet, it's OK to decide that an unborn child that will be imperfect is not deserving of life.

As you can see, I am pro life. The abortion issue is the one issue that I, ignorantly perhaps, cannot seem to grasp the other side's viewpoint. I've tried, and I can't. I will not change their minds and they will not change mind.

As for the issue of abortion in the case of rape or incest, here is my answer:

I DON'T KNOW.

I find it hard to judge a woman who chooses an abortion in that situation. I do not think, even then, I would make that choice, but I would not judge a woman who made that decision FOR THAT REASON - or of course for the necessity of saving the life of the mother.

But according to these statistics, only one percent of abortions are performed for cases of rape or incest. Six percent are performed for reasons regarding the health of the mother or the child (again is that our expectations of perfection - abortions for reasons of the health of the child?) and NINETY THREE PERCENT are performed for social reasons - an unwanted or inconvenient pregnancy.

NINETY THREE PERCENT. That's a lot of babies who are denied life simply because they are inconvenient. And yes, I know Pro Choice activists are adamant that a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body.

True.

But each time an abortion is performed, there is a body that is being denied its very potential for life. And it's not the mother's.