I received today this letter from Rep. Linda Sanchez’s communications director:

Ms. Charen:
I have serious concerns with your piece “And Baby Makes 14” which posted on Feb. 3, 2009. I realize your column intended to address parents who give birth to multiple babies, however, your mention of Congresswoman Linda Sánchez is unjustified and lacks in factual substance.
You quote the Los Angeles Times on the Congresswoman’s thoughts on marriage, but fail to mention that in the same article, the Congresswoman discusses her unofficial fiancé and plans for marriage.
Because your research did not seem to go further than opinion-based statements, I want to let you know a few facts about Congresswoman Sánchez: One, she is a 40-year old woman in a long-standing committed and loving relationship; Two, upon regular checkup, her doctor recommended a planned pregnancy at this immediate time in her life for a healthy delivery that was best for the child (in fact, putting off her pregnancy may have resulted in the need for fertility treatments, with the result of risky multiple births); Three, she has an established and prominent career as an attorney, a former labor leader, and current Member of Congress; Four, she resides in a home she owns in California, and when in Washington for votes, resides in a condo she owns there; and Five, maintains a salary that is sufficient to provide for herself and her future child.
For you to compare a financially secure Member of Congress in a committed relationship, upon the excitement of her first planned pregnancy, with an unemployed mother of 14 is completely unwarranted.
I understand your column reflects your own conservative beliefs, but this particular piece completely reinforces old myths that independent women battled in the 1970s and a hegemony that single women are incapable of raising a child on their own. I hope that the next time you choose to mention Congresswoman Sánchez, you fully explore your facts in order to better represent National Review Online.
Sincerely,
Marsha L. Catron

Here is my reply:

Dear Ms. Catron,
Thank you for your letter. I don’t agree that I have misrepresented Rep. Sanchez at all. I presented the undisputed facts about her case which nothing in your letter contradicts. Nor did I compare her to Ms. Suleman. I did say that in choosing to become a mother without marrying, she presents a poor role model.
I did not say and do not believe that women “are incapable of raising a child on their own.” Women do it all the time. What I do believe, and this is not an “old myth” but a current reality borne out by reams of social science research, is that children raised by single parents have much higher rates of every known risk factor and pathology we measure.
When unfortunate or tragic events leave children with only one parent, they make do. But it is irresponsible to purposely bring a child into the world in those circumstances when you can avoid it.
Sincerely,
Mona Charen