Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Toledo Blade: She obviously cares more about her career

I cannot begin to describe how offensive I find Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Well, yes, I can. And I shall.

First, she wants to present herself as being the consummate working mother to appeal to all women.

This offends me in so many ways. When I decided to have children I opened my arms to my babies, regardless of health, as have all the women I know. That she did not abort or give away her son with Down syndrome tells me that she is not totally self-serving, but this does not make her special; it makes her a mother.

But as a mother, I felt then and now that the first and most critical responsibility as a parent is to be there to raise that child, to make my family my priority. She understands all about special-needs children, and to some degree, so do I. The first rule of parenting is to be there. Mrs. Palin promotes herself as everyone's ideal of a mother, yet she obviously cares more about her career than her family or she would not have dragged her children into the limelight, especially her pregnant daughter. She would have done what most mothers' instincts would dictate: protect her family first and foremost.

As governor of Alaska, she can do that. She can be home and be there for her children. As a political candidate for vice president, she and her husband are continually on the road. Who is there for that baby, and who is there helping her daughter through a deeply personal situation? The teenager is there, living in the public eye.
Column here.

1 comment:

Anastasia Beaverhausen said...

Women who think like this make me ill. Obama has two little girls and yet no one questions who is taking care of them. Palin's husband doesn't really work much, he's basically been a stay at home dad since Palin was elected governor.
I find more problems in the statement that Palin decided to not terminate her pregnancy of a child with Down Syndrome, but wants to remove that choice for other women.