Is Sarah Palin really pro-life?

Question

I think it's interesting that she had an amniocentesis while she was pregnant. First off, the procedure is very risky for the fetus. Secondly, the primary reason they give the test to women over 40 is that the risk of Down's Syndrome exceeds the risk of abortion at that point. Now I find myself asking, if she's pro-life, why would you risk destroying your fetus if you're going to have the child regardless? And, if she's pro-life, why did she wait several days to share the results with her husband?

Truly, I think she harbored abortion thoughts about a child that was likely to interfere with her political career.

Answer 1

What you think she was thinking is irrelevant.  Her final decision is all that matters.  

Answer 2

I do not get the Quad screen when Im pregnant; too many false positives.  I would have the baby regardless and would never do amnio.  However, it seems really judgemental to assume personal thoughts about this woman, especially when speaking of this issue. We can never know what is in her head or why she chose what she did.  

Answer 3

Well, she was over forty and her doctor probably said it was a good idea to make sure.

- Yes they are risky, however the rarely result in fetal harm

- she probably waited a few days to tell her husband because that could be a really stressful and horrifying diagnosis to learn. I mights be freaked out too.

-I don't think she would consider it a way to interfer with her career... if anything the fact that her child IS DS, it's too her betterment. Now she's "brave and courageous" for chosing to have that child.

Listen, I don't support her veiws but if I was that old I would check for that kind of thing

Answer 4

Not true... Me Not You- You're being absolute here. I'm all for a woman's right regardless. However, what I'm against is people bashing a woman for choosing to get an abortion. That's what I'm against. If a woman chooses to have a baby or not to it's her choice I could care less but I care when I hear people calling the woman evil when she decides to have an abortion.

Republicans like you crack my side. You're all pro-life as long as it doesn't affect you. Get the **** out of here with your flip-flopping bullshit.

Answer 5

You are totally grasping at straws.

Answer 6

not only that but she believes we should teach creationism in public school.. this woman is crazy and her husband works for big oil..

Answer 7

She'll destroy our environment....I hate McCain and she's kinda hot, "Naughty Teacher" but I don't really like her or the way she thinks.......She's doing McCain I bet, and he's too old...not gonna last long as president if he's to win!

Answer 8

She is an evangelical Christian and believes abortions are murder.

Remember, "Thou shalt not kill."

Most people do not regard an abortion as the same thing as murdering a living, breathing person, so they would probably have an abortion rather than knowingly bring a mongoloid baby into this world.

Answer 9

The risk of miscarriage with an amniocentesis is less than .5%. And it can be a recommended test for many reasons. You have no clue as to what compelled her to get one. I am Pro-life as well and our 18 week ultrasound showed our baby had a cyst that is associated with both Down syndrome and Trisomy 18. We just had a follow up ultrasound yesterday and if the cyst had not resolved, or any other markers had been found for either condition we would have strongly considered having an amnio so that we could be as educated and prepared as possible when we welcome this child into the world. Women don't get them just so they can choose to abort or not. As far as her waiting (supposedly) to tell her husband the information I know that when something is wrong, such as the cyst, I get all the information I can on the condition or situation before sharing it with my husband who is very prone to worrying excessively. I want to give him the full picture. Maybe she just needed time to digest the fact that her child will have special needs, who knows? But it is not our place to condemn her for her actions regarding this.  

Answer 10

Yes she is she kept her baby in spite of the facts, she talks the talk and walks the walk, that is to be respected. she is no hypocrite. You should see if you can use your psychic abilities to see how bad Obama is going to lose in the elections and make some bets, might as well make money on a sure thing.

Answer 11

Are you kidding me??  Do you know how low the risk is to the fetus to the perform that test??  Do you know how much benefit it is to the family to know ahead of time if the baby is going to be born with down's synrome??  You're acting as if she almost killed the baby to find out.... give me a freakin' break!  I would do the same if the risk was high that I would give birth to a down's baby.  And what does it matter that she waited a couple days to tell her husband?  She was probably scared and trying to gather her thoughts.  Shame on your for even suggesting that she was "harboring abortion thoughts."  It's people like you that start all this useless gossip that has nothing to do with her political career.  So if she had told her hubby right away, or she hadn't had the test done.... would you just find some other petty little detail to gossip about?  How immature...

Answer 12

Excellent point, bringing up another question, that being, if she planned on having the baby anyway, why did she feel the need to have any testing done at all? Her no-exceptions pro-life stance would preclude her from doing anything about the pregnancy, so i'm curious as to why she followed her doctor's advice to have the procedure done?

Answer 13

You're reaching. And you know it.

-You don't know what she was thinking. I never heard about her "waiting a few days" before telling her husband. Provide a source. If she did wait, there could be a perfectly innocent explanation, like being so upset and distraught that she emotionally couldn't handle discussing the news. Without a confession, your speculation is without merit.

-An amniocentesis isn't *that* dangerous. Since the invention of the ultrasound, doctors do not have to perform the procedure blind. You are exaggerating.

Unlike many women in her situation, she chose to keep the baby. You can't argue with results. Seems like you're bitter that a pro-life woman can be consistent and principled, which really flies in the face of the typical argument: "you're only pro-life because you've never had to face that choice." Well, she's had to face it, and she chose right. So, now you have to discredit her motives even though you have absolutely no idea what she was thinking. Pathetic.

Answer 14

She had the baby knowing it had Down Syndrome.  That is the final action to judge.  We do not know what her thoughts were.  Perhaps she felt it was easier to prepare emotionally if she knew what condition the baby had, ahead of time.

We do not put people in jail who consider beating up a neighbor, but never do anything.

Answer 15

Down's syndrome carries with it a number of other potential physical abnormalities.  And, as a woman over 40, there was a higher risk of a lot of other problems besides just Down's syndrome.  The risk of "destroying" a fetus through amniocentesis is pretty low.  The information gained through the test can be invaluable in getting through the remainder of the pregnancy, the labor and delivery, and those first months.  For example, the doctor may learn from the amnio that the baby has a particular deformity that will make a c-section a better birth choice than a vaginal delivery.  It's better to know this 3 or 4 months ahead of time than find it out the hard way when the baby goes into distress during labor.

Having the amnio, for a pro-life parent, means that you have time to come to terms with an unexpected diagnosis.  You can go ahead and mourn the healthy baby you had hoped to have and then prepare yourself for the birth of your special needs child.  People want to know if they're having a boy or girl so they can buy the right clothes.  Don't you think it's even more important for parents to know ahead of time that their child has special challenges ahead?

Okay, you ask why she waited to tell her husband.  You're obviously not old enough to be either a husband or a father if you have to ask that.  When a doctor tells a woman that her baby has birth defects, Down's syndrome, heart or kidney problems, etc., the first thing this woman feels is lost and overwhelmed.  She may feel that she's a failure as a woman.  She may be too stunned and to upset to discuss the baby's problems right away.  She may be afraid to tell an ultra-macho husband that their baby isn't completely normal.  She's feeling doubt, and guilt, and recriminations, and sadness, and anger.  If a particular woman needs a day or 2 or 3 or 100 to deal with that before she talks about it, she's entitled.  Parents in this situation go through all the stages of grief - the denial, the anger, the questioning, the whole bit.  Mrs. Palin simply needed to deal with her initial grief and her initial feelings or doubts within herself before she was able to share the news with her husband.  There's no reason to judge her harshly for that, or to doubt her pro-life stance because of it.

Did she consider abortion?  I expect she may have.  She knew that people would ask her for the rest of her life why she hadn't aborted the baby, so you know she had to think through her reasons for keeping the baby.  She most likely spent some time wondering if abortion would be the right thing for her career and her family, and how her choice to abort a Down's fetus could affect public opinion.  And....so what?  She's allowed to have her own thoughts and to consider all options, even the ones she personally considers repugnant or that contradict her previously held beliefs.  You'll notice that in the end, she CHOSE to give birth to a baby considered less-than-perfect by society.  

The bottom line is that Mrs. Palin acted on her publicly stated beliefs.  You'll need to find something else if you only want to criticize.  

Answer 16

I think you are reaching at straws.

Answer 17

Truly that's extreme speculation.  You have no idea why she waited to tell her husband and you have no idea what she was thinking at the time.   The amniocentisis is not as risky as it used to be plus, there are medical benefits to having an amnio.  By getting the test and finding out the results she could start to prepare herself and her family early and often about what would be needed for her son when he arrived.   That's best for her family and it's best for her son and it's best for her to be prepared.  

What I find so ridiculous is no one gets this uppity about a male candidate being pro life.   These pro choicers and issue fence hoppers are more accepting of a man "telling them what to do with their bodies" than a woman.   Pathetic.

Answer 18

Honestly, I don't care if she's pro life or not. It's the least of my concerns. What concerns the heck out of me, is that McCain is not in great health, and he should have picked someone with foreign policy experience, especially in this time of trouble.  

I hate to say it, but McCain lost my vote.  

Answer 19

My goodness.  My contempt for the left is growing by leaps and bounds by the hour.

Answer 20

you do know she had 5 children right? so you are really questioning if she is pro life?

Answer 21

It's easier to prepare if you know ahead of time.  I would want to know, so I could learn as much as possible about it, and be able to take proper care of my child.

Answer 22

You need to find out what amnioscentesis is for...it's not quite as limited as you seem to think

Answer 23

What you think just doesn't matter because the baby is here, and they love him all the same.

Perhaps the risk of Down's at an older age as hers spurred her to get the amnio so that she and her family could be prepared as best they could.

Have you ever thought about if you were aborted? Seriously because I have and still am pro-choice. However, Palin's CHOICE was to love her baby, no matter what.  

Answer 24

Amniocentesis has to be ordered by a doctor, you can't just request one.  Funny how liberals are all about a women's right to choose.... unless she chooses NOT to abort.