“If we take Sarah Palin at her word — and despite the blog chatter to which I sacrificed my Labor Day weekend, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t — she learned last December, four months into her pregnancy, that the baby she was carrying possessed an extra 21st chromosome, the cause of Down syndrome. Then she made an unusual decision, one made by only 10 percent of US women who receive a similar prenatal diagnosis: She decided to carry her baby to term. … Now we have the additional revelation that Bristol Palin, Sarah and Todd’s 17-year-old daughter, is about to have her own baby in a few months. No doubt this provoked a heated family debate as well, one that ended in Todd and Sarah’s affirmation of unconditional love and support. And, you know, that’s great. It really is. … It would also be taking a narrow view of things, however, to forget that the Palins are a two-income family: The mother is a public servant, the father is a union worker, and they no doubt have excellent private health insurance. Both Bristol and Sarah Palin have the luxury of exercising true reproductive choice, and continuing with pregnancies that would have devastated — financially and emotionally — many an ordinary family.” (09/03/08)