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MissIsis -> RE: Palins church. (9/9/2008 2:50:18 PM)
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I think things are changing with regard to treating aborted babies. In the early 1970's in CT, my sister, very young & facing a pregnancy, in which she felt completely alone, was talked into getting an abortion by a family member. I had already stepped up to take care of the child, no matter whether for a short time or for it's life. She didn't talk to me about it, but I found out too late, that she had gone to the hospital for an abortion. She was too far along, & today, I am pretty sure they wouldn't allow it. As soon as they gave her the shot, which they gave in those days for this, she changed her mind. The father found out about it, & was able to go to the hospital, but it was too late by the time he got there. My nephew was born alive. He was refused medical treatment because he had been an aborted baby. His father held him for an hour, while my sister was out of it, until my nephew died.
Not a day goes by that my sister doesn't think about her first born, her son. If she had it to do over again, she would not do it. But nowadays, she found out that the laws have been changed & hospitals are required to do all they can to save the life of a baby born alive, at least in that state.
Personally, I couldn't see having an abortion. I am 50 & haven't changed my thoughts on that. But then again, I have never had to face that kind of decision. Each of my grown offspring, was planned.
Take another story: My mother found herself pregnant when I was 4 years old. It was a difficult pregnancy. She had something called placenta previa. In those days, it was very dangerous for her & her unborn child. Also, in those days, the catholic church had more power than they do now, & didn't allow birth control. They also didn't allow abortions. My mother had to agonize over whether to have an illegal abortion herself in order to save her life, or die & leave behind 3 small ones, knowing full well, my father would have been worthless to care for us.
I remember the day she screamed from the bathroom. I was 5 by then. I ran to her, & as I opened the door, there was blood everywhere. She yelled at me to go get our neighbor & get out of there. My father just happened to come home or was fairly close to the house, & got her to the hospital.
She had already been pretty much confined to her bed. I had to skip almost a half year of kindergarten to try to help take care of my brother & sister. I got them their cereal, poured them their milk from a gallon jug the milkman would leave for us, & make them peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, until someone could come by to make us dinner.
My mother spent a month in the hospital & was finally able to give birth to my sister through a c-section. My father had a mean woman come by to care for us. We all remember being yelled at constantly by her.
Somehow things worked out & she was able to come home to us on Christmas day with our little sister.
My point for all this, is it grieves me to think there are other women going through these things, having to agonize over decisions like this, that are between their higher power, & themselves, and maybe their families. Who are we to tell these women what to do? Some would think it really is our obligation to force women to make what we feel are the right decisions. I don't agree. In days gone by, these things would have been decided in villages with those who were close to each situation coming to a decision. Maybe the elder women of the village would have stepped in to care for the little ones who may have been left behind in the event of the death of one of their own.
Times are not like that these days. It is difficult to find someone to step in when we have a bout with the flu, let alone during a long sickness or death. Our laws should not be based on archaic rules that have no bearing on todays families.
Lastly, I will leave with this. I went to a fair a couple years ago. There was a Pro-life table there. I saw the pictures of fetus's in various stages of development. I looked through the literature. I looked up at the women that were there & asked if they had a list of resources or homes that women who found themselves pregnant could turn to, rather than have to face a decision no one should have to face. They had nothing. No resource. No suggestions.
Not every women who considers abortion is single, poor, young or pregnant. I knew another women, who had taken on another little one when her youngest was just about grown up. He was already a couple years old when she took him on. His birth mother couldn't keep him, because she had just had another child that was born with a disability, & knew she couldn't care for all of hers, plus give the disabled one the attention he would need.
These are heartwrenching decisions. No one should have to make these decisions. Unfortunately, many do. Ms. Palin may have the resources to be able to care for her disabled young one, but many more women in this country don't have that luxury. Again, I don't believe for one minute any of us has any right to make these decisions for these women, especially, when so few of us are willing to step in, no matter what the cost.
Oh, & by the way, my mom had to take illegal birth control after she had my sister. It was against the law in those days to use it.
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