I have been mulling over this concept of Palin's pro-life stance and how it has raised her to "hero status" in the eyes of evangelicals. Obviously, I share this pro-life stance. However, I've had trouble putting my thoughts into words concerning this sudden glorification of she and her daughter.
I just read an article that puts this issue into perspective; here is a small portion of the article. Dr. Voddie Baucham writes:
"I think the approach conservatives are taking with the Palin issue is problematic. Christians are calling both Sarah and Bristol Palin heroes for choosing not to kill their children in the womb simply because the rest of the culture seems to have little problem with it. This is the wrong argument. This is like saying a police officer is a hero for not shooting an unarmed man. That’s his job! It is not heroic to stay pregnant; it should be expected. This is a sort of lowered expectation argument. Sure she got pregnant out-of-wedlock, but that is common; that makes them ‘real’ Americans (this is an actual argument I have heard no less than half-a-dozen times from “Christian” conservatives). But look at what happened next; they didn’t kill the baby... that makes them super human moral giants. What grit!
This line of argumentation makes the abortion debate sound pragmatic. The Palins did not make a tough choice. They made the only logical choice given their profession of faith. In fact, there was no real choice to make. We mustn’t lower the bar just to make ourselves look good. In fact, the conservative Christian response to the Palin pregnancy actually makes abortion sound like a reasonable option that the Palin family heroically chose to forego."
I know that her pro-life stance can certainly make an impact on those who struggle with pro-choice vs. pro-life, and I'm thankful for this. But I'm talking about conservatives who are basing their whole support system on a concept that should be a no-brainer issue among us! What do you think?
To read the complete article click here! (Framing the Abortion Debate)
We are Canadians but have still been following the news a little big.
ReplyDeleteMy husband had just said the same thing yesterday, they are being made heroes for doing something that should be natural and according to the plan God created. Nothing exceptional, yet they are so highly praised. There is truly something wrong with this picture.
Sorry, last comment was not by Stacey, it was from us! Ooops!
ReplyDeletebut in a culture where abortion is so accepted (including among evangelicals re: abortifacient contraception), I understand the praise. I believe that the latest stats are that more than 3/4 of all Downs babies are aborted, which will likely increase until they are almost eliminated. how sad, and I do love to see people so excited to have such a special baby.
ReplyDeleteI kinda agree w/ you, but also see where she can have such a positive impact for families of kids w/ special needs. I think what she did was good too, but not worthy of such exhaultation. Only 1 is worthy of that....JESUS!
ReplyDeleteKristen,
ReplyDeleteYes, the Downs related abortions are very sad and I'm thankful Sarah has been so vocal about her special blessing! Lives will be touched and changed from this in and of itself!
I think the article just hits a nerve as far as how much abortion IS a part of our culture, therefore, making people like Palin and daughter stand out for what we should all be doing anyway as Christians.
Thanks for sharing your perspective....I always appreciate what you have to say!
I was STUNNED to read from a prominent obstetrician that now 90% of Down's babies are being aborted. I'm sorry, but some things ARE relative: with the current societal pressures against bearing a child with a disability, a woman who knowingly carries and gives birth to a Down's baby IS a hero in my book. It takes guts as well as morals to resist.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cathi! I agree that mother's of special needs children are the biggest heros, ALL of them, definitely! What I'm saying is that she is Pro-life so she's doing what pro-life people do....have their babies.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about her daughter? She's no different than any other American teen who is pregnant, except for the fact that her mom is the VP nominee. Again, they are a pro-life family, so naturally they will give birth to their babies, just like any other pro-life family. Most WOULD call it their moral duty, not heroism.
I'm really enjoying all the different perspectives.....it really helps to see things from all angles when people take the time to comment.
Thank you!
Well yes, this is where I would agree with you that "this is what pro-life families do." Although being an unmarried teen and having a baby these days is frowned on in some circles, I don't think that bearing this child is "heroic" in the same sense as knowingly having a DS child. In two years when Bristol is married and life has settled down, her decision will be a non-issue to most. But in carrying little Trig everywhere she goes for 20 or more years, Sarah faces individual and societal disapproval every day of her life. This child is unmistakably "marked" and Palin has chosen to walk through life knowing that it will ever be thus.
ReplyDeleteSo while I applaud both decisions, I see them as quite different.
I so agree with you, Candace! Thanks for posting this. I don't think of them as heroes for having their babies. I think it shows something is very wrong in our society when we think of women who have their babies as heroes. I am thankful for their decisions though, since we do live in a messed up society and many people will be watching them and, hopefully, will find the courage to choose life when/if they are faced with the same situations. Having a special needs baby and a teenage pregnancy are both fearful situations and they faced their fears, lived out their faith and chose life for their babies. I don't see it as heroic, but I do see it as the right thing to do and the right thing to do is not always the easy thing to do! For that, I am thankful for their example and their strength to live out their faith (especially in front of the whole world).
ReplyDeleteok, I have been thinking more about this idea of being a hero for simply doing what is right. I came up with a few examples of when we did call someone a hero for doing what is right. I was trying to think of the difference here. I guess the difference is that when we call someone a hero for doing something that is morally right it is usually because it is at the risk of death or great bodily harm. An example would be a firefighter going into a burning building to save someone trapped inside. It is his job to do that and it is morally right to try to save someone's life, but we still call him a hero for having done it. It is because he risked his own life to save someone else's. I don't see having a baby in that way. Maybe if the mother's life was in jeopardy and she still chose to have the baby even at the expense of risking her own life. Am I making sense? I do think it is always admirable to do the right thing in the face of opposition and fear, but not sure it is heroic? Know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteok, I need to quit thinking about this. ha ha. I keep seeing fault with my limited logic! LOL I kept thinking and I did think of others that we call heroes for what they do even though it WASN'T at the risk of death or great bodily harm. One example I thought of right after I posted the previous comment was Mother Theresa. I would call her a hero for her life of service, but she never ran into a burning building, risked death or great bodily harm...as far as I know. (maybe she did) So, never mind with my faulty logic...LOL
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it is the people who are calling her a "hero" are people who really don't get the Pro-Life view entirely. Sarah, knowing that she was the VP nominee, could have secretly taken her daughter to an abortion mill to save her reputation. But instead she still stood by her convictions and beliefs, she is showing the world that she lives out what she believes. For all of us who "get the Pro-life" view and understand God's full purpose for each human life to the full extent it is kind of like a no brainer. I think that having a VP that has the same issues as the world but respond in a Godly manner is going to help us win the battle over abortion... she is going to be a great tool to be used. In my opinion.
ReplyDeleteLove the comments on this. I stand in agreement with you all. I support their campaign and their family, but you are right, they are just people who made the right choice...this time (Bristol). They can't be raised up as anything but.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this, and I guess where I differ on this issue is that I don't think of Bristol or Palin as "heros." I think of them as people living out their convictions in a world where it's made so easy not to - and I think that's commendable, whether you're running for VP or you're the neighbor girl down the street.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I don't believe Palin has asked for the praise, but it is a wee bit exciting to see the pro-lifers in our nation band together to support someone in the public eye who has chosen to do the right thing. Perhaps she is just doing what pro-life people do, but shouldn't we be happy for an example of that so promeniently out in the open? We need more examples of Godly action, not just talk, in our society and our government. Just my 2 cents...
It usually takes one, or a few people to re-set (in the media's warped eyes) the, "it's the-right-thing-to-do" bar. I don't believe Sarah thinks of herself as a hero,and I'm pretty certain the last thing she wanted was to have her private family business splattered all over the news, but I do think God's plan for her is unfolding in the spotlight because so many believe abortion is no more an evil thing than having a facelift. But just think, since Sarah came into the spotlight, thousands and thousands are now being heard that having a child is, and should be,a no-brainer..not to say it's easy street for all, but the thought of not terminating a pregnancy seems to be making a turn-around to become the 'norm' praise God! As pro-lifers, we just have to be careful to continue to keep the message out there as it always has been; not as heroism, but as God's word commands us to do. My prayer is to someday get to say, "Remember when we had to have a Pro-life movement?" Maybe this is finally the beginning. Well, maybe the "warped media" has a purpose after all.
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