Sarah Palin Backs Bill to Ban Abortions Based on Down Syndrome: “Don’t Snuff That Life Out”
The former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, is urging Ohio Gov. John Kasich to take a stand on a bill that would ban abortion in cases where the unborn child is diagnosed with Down syndrome. Although Gov. Kasich has yet to take a position on the bill, he has supported pro-life measures multiple times in the past.
For example, during his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kasich voted for the Federal Abortion Ban, the Unborn Victims of Violence Bill, a parental consent bill and measures to defund abortion facilities and require them to meet certain safety standards. In July, Gov. Kasich officially announced that he was running for the president of the United States.
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Palin said, “I don’t think because the child has one extra chromosome they should be able to snuff that life out.” She added that the issue hits close to home since her son, Trig, has the condition. “There is some fear there of the unknown. Certainly, there was fear in my heart about how in the world are we going to be able to handle the challenges up ahead, not necessarily thinking of the beauty that could come from a child being different, being unique. Culture has told these women … you’re not capable of being able to handle and nurture and love and raise a child with special needs,” Palin explained.
She concluded by saying she wishes more abortion supporters met children like her son. Palin said, “They’re amazing, wonderful kids. They teach us more than we’re ever going to be able to teach them.” The legislation in Ohio to prohibit doctors from performing abortions when the unborn child is diagnosed with Down syndrome is expected pass through the pro-life Legislature and land on Gov. Kasich’s desk.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Sarah LaTourette (R-Bainbridge Township), said the following about the pro-life bill: “As with any bill that they perceive as a threat to their industry, pro-abortion groups have been vocal in their opposition to HB 135. However, they are presenting the same arguments they use for every pro-life bill. While I make no effort to conceal my pro-life convictions, I firmly believe this bill is about discrimination, not abortion. Choosing to end an individual’s life simply because they are different, or might have Down syndrome, is discrimination. There is simply no other way to look at it.”
As LifeNews previously reported, 90% of women who receive the prenatal diagnosis that their child will have Down syndrome end their life through abortion. The director of the Cuyahoga County chapter of Ohio Right to Life said her doctors tried to pressure her into abortion after a screening showed her baby could have Down syndrome.
Rachel Mullen explained, “They told me that I should get an abortion fast, so no one would know I was pregnant and I wouldn’t have the stigma of abortion, that it would be doing the child a favor. As soon as babies are born, they’re protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act, but we need this bill so that they can be born, and not culled.”
