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Sarah Palin, special needs kids, and what is next for her?
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ABC News
As a parent of two special needs children, the topic of Sarah Palin, her actions, and opinions of her have come up in conversation multiple times. Saying that she is a lightning rod for criticism is definitely an understatement. Some would even go as far to say that she has used her family situation to further her career and garner sympathy. In the 2008 US presidential campaign, she would frequently discuss being a special needs parent and promote herself as a friend to special needs families across the United States. But the question stands. Is Sarah Palin really a friend to families with special needs children?
The first concern about Palin is her stance on abortion and termination of a pregnancy if the child has a condition that is not conducive to life. Palin touts her son with Down’s syndrome as the shining example that it is not alright to terminate a pregnancy if a child has a life threatening condition. What Palin does not get is that she was lucky. Down’s syndrome is relatively mild as far as genetic disorders go. There are some situations where a child can be born dead, disfigured, and in a great amount of pain. The decision to terminate a pregnancy like this is one that should be left to the parents and the doctors. This is a medical decision that the government has no business taking part in. Sarah Palin’s own behavior during her pregnancy with her youngest child even raised eyebrows. She drew criticism for flying across the country with a potentially sick infant while in premature labor. There were questions raised about some of her plans for special education funding when she was a political candidate. Some of her ideas were not well thought out or explained which brought more criticism.
That aside, Palin has done some positive work. In her state of Alaska, despite inaccurate rumors of cutting special education funding, the truth is that she tripled the per-pupil funding for special education students. Palin also has given 1.7% of her income to charity which is more than former rival Joe Biden donated. This year, Palin has volunteered with organizations like Autism Speaks. But the question is, is that enough for a person who claims to be an advocate for special needs families? The question about Sarah Palin after her resignation as governor of Alaska is what is next? Is she going to run for President? Is she going to do more work as promoting herself as a special needs family advocate?
The biggest issue that most special needs parents have with Sarah Palin promoting herself as their advocate is that she does not really get it. Palin has never had to depend on the public resources. She never had to fight with SSI or Early Intervention to get services. She has never had to deal with red tape that insurance companies like to throw up any time a child needs therapy. Palin has the money to spend on therapies that most insurance companies will not cover because they are for a developmental delay. She has never had to fight for funding for AFO’s, wheelchairs, oxygen, medical formula, monitors, or home nursing. She has never had to lie awake at night trying to figure out how all the co-pays will be paid for. And since she is a VIP, she has never had to wait on the mile long waiting lists for some specialists.
These are all issues that are real and that special needs parents in Georgia face all the time. If Palin is going to promote herself as an advocate for these families, she needs to talk to them. She needs to see what they face every day. Don’t just talk at them and give them platitudes because they are smart and can see right through that. If she is going to run for president in 2012, she has a lot of work to do. Perhaps she should start with finding out what special needs families really go through on a daily basis.
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