Governor Palin acts out her Pro-Life stance.

LIFE DIGEST: Alaska’s governor shows pro-life devotion, welcomes Down syndrome son


By Tom Strode - Apr 28, 2008


Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has put her pro-life beliefs into personal practice.


Palin, 44, gave birth to her fifth child April 18 in an act that is counter-cultural — her baby boy, Trig Paxson Van Palin, has Down syndrome. The prevalence of prenatal genetic testing and the reportedly hopeless portrait painted by many obstetricians have helped abortion become the default option in recent years for parents whose unborn children are diagnosed with the condition. It has been estimated as much as 90 percent of unborn babies detected with Down syndrome in the United States are aborted.


Palin and her husband, Todd, introduced Trig to reporters and photographers when she returned to work April 21. She acknowledged she was sad when testing early in her pregnancy showed her baby had Down syndrome.


“When we first heard, it was kind of confusing,” Palin told reporters, according to the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News, adding the news was “very, very challenging.”


Todd and she moved beyond that, the governor said, adding they believe God has blessed and chosen them. She said Trig is “absolutely perfect” to them.


“It just feels like he fits perfectly,” she said. “He is supposed to be here with us.”


Palin emailed a letter to family members and close friends on the same day she gave birth, writing it as if it came from God and signing it: “Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father.”


“Many people will express sympathy, but you don’t want or need that, because Trig will be a joy,” the letter said, according to the Daily News. “You have to trust me on this.


“Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed-up world you live in down there on Earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome.”


Down syndrome normally results when a person has three copies, rather than two, of chromosome 21.


A pro-life advocate and a Republican, Palin was elected in 2006 as Alaska’s first female governor, as well as its youngest. She is breast feeding Trig and plans to take him to work with her, the Daily News reported.


“Her choice to value life in a very personal way speaks volumes and gives those of us in the pro-life community in Alaska cause to believe that we truly do have a pro-life leader in charge of our state,” Eagle Forum Alaska President Debbie Joslin told LifeNews.com. “When so many in our culture have chosen to devalue the lives of those who face special learning disabilities, Governor Palin shines as a great positive role model.”