When she defines herself as just another American woman with the usual family ups and downs, is she really encouraging shotgun (or semi-automatic) weddings? I wonder what will happen if and when her daughter gets a divorce. What’s the difference between her and that religious group in Texas that got under-aged kids married?

These days many Down’s Syndrome children grow up to lead much more normal and independant lives than in the past. And they can be quite happy, and inspirational.

I’m so sick of this God crap. So God wants Sarah to rain down white phosphorous and burn Iraqi men, women and children to the bone, but he doesn’t want her to support stem cell research.

I’m really tired of American insanity. It’s all going to end badly.

I liked the piece, but take exception to this statement: “In this day of certainty through tests, it does seem irresponsible to have such a child, which likely will be dependent on family and society for its entire life.” Some people, even with the certainty of tests, choose to bring a mentally retarded child to term because they feel that this child is as worthy of life and love as its “normal” siblings. I don’t know if it is a choice I would make, but to say that bringing a retarded child into the world is irresponsible smack too much of eugenics for my comfort. When my wife (whose brother is mentally retarded) was pregnant with our daughter, we both recognized how irresponsible it is to bring more people into an overcrowded world that’s going down the toilet; as I’ve discovered, being a parent involves multiple and sometimes conflicting notions of responsibility. This is one choice Palin made that I respect, maybe the only one.