From a professor of theology and ethics:
Yesterday I emailed you the thought of McCain-Palin as a reform ticket.
Today you helpfully underscore her pro-life example in welcoming her Down Syndrome baby. I was reminded of (secular feminist) Lori Andrews’s observations on pre-natal screening and eugenics in Future Perfect (Columbia UP, 2001). Among them, “The use of prenatal screening changes pregnant women’s relationship with their fetuses.” One of the most telling points is the reluctance to tell family and friends “I’m pregnant!” until after the results of the amniocentesis are in. The new genetics is touted as offering more choices, “but at time the mere existence of a technology contains an implicit coercion to use it.” We have seen this with abortion nation-wide and physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, and it’s beginning to take its toll in pre-natal screening. As Andrews notes, “Society may make women feel guilty for continuing the pregnancy of a fetus with even a slight disability.” Palin would be a highly visible and credible testimony against this.
Final thought: palin in Greek means “again.” Could be a portent for 2012, only this time at the top of the ticket.