Republicans and Women: the Sarah Palin Nomination

Well since everyone is talking about her and I am thinking about it, I decided to muse aloud to my audience. Having my daughters has changed a whole lot of how I think.

First off, I must publicly announce that I used to be a Republican. I was a Reagan Republican until about 9-10 years ago. Yes, my leaving the Republican party coincided with my marriage but it also coincided with the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton. I was a Republican because they represented the class (the self-made and parentally-made wealthy) to which I aspired. I enjoyed Nancy Reagan's Galanos gowns and classic suits. I enjoyed the gentility and self-reliance that being Republican embodied. Then came the Monica Lewinsky brou-ha-ha. I was and am still appalled. How anyone could call themselves gentlepersons and publicly probe into an indiscretion such as that is beyond me? The men who called themselves Republicans were no gentlemen. They were abusive to women. Their probe did not hurt President Clinton - it hurt the women around him - his wife, his underage daughter and that foolish young woman who let herself be seduced by a handsome, powerful man. When this happened, I could not longer associate with people that had such poor manners and morals. I resigned from the party.
Now we have the Republicans bringing up a woman as an equal - part of the party- ready to serve with the same good ole boys that humiliated those other innocent women. Yes, she is tough - she hunts moose and handles firearms well - but the other thing about her is that she is a wife and mother with strong ties to her children and husband. I think to myself - how could she be part of them? Those who have no respect for family privacy. Her life has already been torn open for all to see - the deficits of her youngest child - the foibles of her eldest. It is one thing to risk yourself in the political arena but to risk your children is not acceptable to me. I am in agreement with Sen. Obama in saying that one's children were off limits in the political arena. One's children should always be off limits to outsiders. We are there to protect them in every possible way no matter what it means to our own hopes, dreams and safety.

Now this is why the Sarah Palin nomination confuses me. On one hand, she waves the pro-life flag pointing to her youngest as a gift from G-d that others would have aborted. On the other, she volunteers to leave him at the tender age of 5 months to go on the campaign trail. My daughters are now almost 16 months old and I have been away from them for exactly one night and I could not wait to get back to them.
As Gov. Palin is being set up as the poster mom for the Pro-life movement, I should be set up right next to her on the opposite side. I did not marry until late in life when my fertility was already waning. It isn't that I didn't want to marry - it just did not happen. From practically the moment we agreed to marry, my husband and I tried to conceive. We tried on our own for a year and then went to the doctor... and went to the doctor...and went to the doctor. We spent literally thousands of dollars trying to have a baby with multiple miscarriages and heartache. On our final try, we hit the jackpot - I had three thriving embryos. All the medical personnel tried to convince me that I should reduce the pregnancy to two or one. (this is dr-speak for partially aborting a multiple pregnancy). I refused. I refused not because I do not believe in abortion but because I knew I would not be able to live with myself if I had ended one of their lives. To think of who might be missing now is horrifying. It was my job to bring them into this world - healthy. I went though almost 5 months of bedrest to bring them here and it was worth it. I understand how others might have made different choices along the decision tree- some women would have quit trying with the first HSG test - others when they had to give themselves shots every night - others when they had to have anesthesia for retrieval - others on the first failure ... I also understand how someone might not want triplets and would reduce - both for her own health and for the health of the baby/ies as well as for the ability to care for the children once they are born. It isn't easy taking care of triplets. It is a very PERSONAL decision and no woman or man should or can tell another what it right - it is from inside the mother and it is among her, her children and her G-d. You cannot legislate that feeling nor should you. That is where the my choice in Pro-choice comes from - you have to listen to your heart tell you what is right. A law is not going to tell you that. In the case of Mrs. Palin, she seems very gung ho about bringing life into this world - and that is to be applauded. In my opinion she does not treat that life once it gets here as preciously as I would. If so, she would not allow her children be the subject of public speculation - she would not/could not leave her youngest to be on the campaign trail or even risk her milk supply by volunteering for such physical hardship as campaigning. How am I supposed to entrust my country to her when she isn't even protecting her own babies ? I just can't...