Be Careful About Throwing Them Away

A reader sent me a blog link today. It’s about a lady who took her four-year-old daughter to see John McCain and Sarah Palin. Her daughter has Down’s Syndrome.

It occurred to me, as I read the entry, that they may be an unexpected benefit to a Sarah Palin Vice Presidency. It may change people’s attitudes toward kids with Down’s Syndrome and other problems.

It’s not something that should be milked for political advantage, but it seems inevitable, should John McCain win. We’ll be seeing Trig Palin on the news over and over, surrounded by a loving family. He’s already a Youtube hit; everyone has seen the short clip of his sister, grooming his hair.

The prospect of having a handicapped kid scares people. I assume. Surely that’s the reason so many handicapped babies are aborted. The thought has certainly scared me. I hope the abortions are not the result of a sick desire to have “perfect” children to show off, although maybe I’m naive. I believe many couples and single women see ominous prenatal test results and choose abortion, simply because they think raising a handicapped child will be too hard for them.

That attitude will necessarily be eroded by the spectacle of a warm, loving family with a child who has Down’s Syndrome. I don’t know how many people the message will reach, but I’m sure a large number of pregnant women will be influenced, and that they’ll take the healthier path, confronting the problem instead of running from it.

As a nation, we aren’t all that familiar with Down’s Syndrome. Sometimes we see ridiculous movies and TV shows which stupidly portray retarded people as the smartest folks around, but saying those efforts teach us about Down’s Syndrome is like saying G.I. Jane taught us about the Navy Seals. A real-life example will have much more impact.

People whose children have physical problems seem fairly united in their perceptions. For the most part, they tell us their experiences have been fulfilling and surprising. That makes sense. We were put here to face challenges like this. God didn’t create us to have “show families,” the way some people have show dogs and show horses. We are supposed to have problems, and the hope is that by facing them with faith and principle, we can turn them into blessings. This is something I find hard to remember, at times when it can serve me best. I don’t blame other people for forgetting. But it’s still true.

Man’s way of making life perfect is quick and futile. God’s way is slow, subtle, and lasting. You could say God’s approach is nuanced, if you wanted to start a fight.

We always say a child is a gift from God; presumably a child with a special challenge is a special gift. Maybe each of those medical waste bags the abortion industry has filled represents a gift that has been rejected. It’s an awful thing to consider.

Maybe the seeming imperfection of the Palin family is a gift to our nation, which we should study carefully before we turn it down.

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