Politics and Pregnancy

I don't generally talk politics, since most political discussions are arguments waiting to happen. However, on the day that Sarah Palin, the woman who may be the next Vice-President, is set to talk at the Republican National Convention, I am making an exception. I, like many others in this country, didn't know much about Sarah Palin when John McCain named her as his running mate. I had read about her pregnancy and her child who has Down's Syndrome, and her winner-take-all politics in Alaska, but I confess to not having given her much of a thought. All that has changed now and I have been reading all I can about the woman who could be "a heartbeat away" from the Presidency. I have found her to be vibrant, spunky, very interesting, and worthy of consideration. The women of this country make up just over half of the registered voters. If all of us voted en bloc we would be unbeatable. Girl power! That won't happen, of course. I can only hope that women will consider other women when they vote. I am talking about unborn women. Virtually half of all aborted babies would eventually become women. In our country, they don't have rights until they come out kicking and screaming. Of course, if someone kills a pregnant woman and her baby dies with her, then there are two counts of murder. How can you have a second count of murder when the baby isn't a life? Our society has double standards. If you want your baby and it's killed, it's murder. If you don't want your baby and it's killed, it's "choice".

I do respect a woman's right to choose. She should have a right to choose when she has sexual relations and with whom. She has a right to choose to use birth control or not to use birth control methods. If she becomes pregnant despite (or in spite of) these choices, she has a choice to raise her child, have family raise her child, or place her child for adoption. I don't think compounding an already complex and difficult situation with the loss of a life is a viable choice. I remember seeing a bumper sticker about abortion. It said, "Abortion - one dead - one wounded". I've never read a more true statement. A woman who has endured an abortion, even "by choice", suffers in many ways for the rest of her life, no matter what she believes will occur in the after-life.

Now that Governor Palin has revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is five months pregnant, critics are coming out of the woodwork. I have parented two children (with one yet to go) who were 17 at one time. I'm not sure that anyone can cast stones if they are living in modern times. I haven't met the parents who are with their children (and what if there are more than one?) 24/7. We all teach our children our values and hope that they have learned from us. But who among us has never made a mistake or done something that could have conceivably gotten us into trouble? It happens. It happens in good families. The Kennedy family, long known as the U.S. version of royalty, didn't live in Camelot. Their children had issues with drugs, rape, suicide, drunk driving, and even murder. They weren't perfect. We revered them as if they were -- but they weren't. The fact that Sarah Palin and her husband have embraced their daughter and accepted what has happened with grace and fortitude is a sign of strength and commitment. The situation is far from ideal for them and I would wager that they didn't hope to make this announcement, whether during the Republican National Convention or not. But, they are dealing with it and supporting their daughter. They didn't, as a family, sweep it under the rug and rush her off to an abortion clinic to get rid of the problem. That would have been the easy way out, especially for a woman who could be President some day. Instead, Sarah Palin is practicing what she preaches. As a family, they have opted to respect life. I'm sure they explored the the option of adoption with their daughter, but the choice was made for her to parent this baby. I respect that. While some criticize Governor Palin's policy of promoting abstinence, I think she can have it both ways. I think she can promote abstinence and promote life at the same time. I have no doubt, her daughter knows about birth control and protection (What 17 year old in the USA is that oblivious with information everywhere?). She's a teenager and likely impulsive, and she failed. It happens. The fact that she's not compounding an unplanned pregnancy with an abortion is admirable. Sarah Palin herself opted to carry a baby with Down's Syndrome to term. She is not a pro-life mouthpiece. She is living her belief.

John McCain is pro-life. He also practices what he preaches. Many have criticized him for his wealth. So he married a woman with money! Just because they have wealth, doesn't mean they don't have core values. She has voluteered and contributed to many worthy causes and it's hard to find something negative to say about what she does for others. She has set up philanthropic foundations and is active in children's and women's health issues. While in Bangladesh, she met Mother Theresa and heeded the call to "help this little one" and brought two special-needs orphans to the United States. The McCains adopted one child and their friends adopted the other. I don't believe their critics have adopted. If they had, they would know the real value of life and of nurturing a child who needs a home.

In our world today, too many people take life for granted. Too many don't view life as having the value that it should. In some countries, little girls are abandoned and thrown away simply because they are female. In some cultures, it is an "honor" to commit suicide while killing others -- all in the name of God or Allah or whatever they choose to call our higher power. If we don't respect life at a very basic level and we don't teach our children that life begins once two cells combine and begin multiplying into what will result (barring interruption) in a human being, we can't expect that our lives or the lives of our children will be respected. As a society, we have become so callous toward death and violence on the movie screen and so indifferent towards children being abused that we are creating our own criminals with no conscience. We are disgusted by those who would take the lives of our loved ones with disregard, but they have not been taught to respect life. It does take a village.

John McCain and Sarah Palin are not perfect. I think it would be unreasonable to expect them to be. I do think, however, that they are honorable people who want the best for their families and their nation. The fact that they are willing to stake their political careers on their beliefs and fight for the unborn is honorable. I will not criticize their opponents, as I think that they mean well also. However, for those of us who feel that life is still precious and fragile and worth saving, there isn't a question about where to place our mark on the ballot.