Editor's Note: The following is a submission received during our Pro-Choice Republican Essay Contest. We are delighted to feature the voices of Republican voters who shake off party orthodoxy and embrace pro-choice principles. Their views, of course, are theirs alone, and don't necessarily reflect those of the site.
When Sarah Palin's youngest child was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome, she and her family made the choice to go ahead and have the baby. All we're asking for is to have the same option of choice and to prayerfully consider all options in such a circumstance.
My wife and I are the same age as the Palins, and my wife homeschools our three children. My company just cut me back to part time and we can't afford health insurance, so we are very blessed to have everybody healthy and enough resources to put good meals on the table without public assistance, thanks in part to our backyard garden and our local co-op.
As everyone knows, the chance of having a Downs Syndrome child goes up with age; if we were presented with a similar situation, we might make the same choice as the Palins, but we might not. We would prayerfully consider, as a family, what would be most fair to our other children, and what we could reasonably offer the new child under our present circumstances. We would also consult our doctor about the challenges of raising a special needs child; If we chose to end the pregnancy, it would not be a decision taken lightly, and I resent the pro-life stance that the government should make the decision for us.
