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By Peter J. Smith
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 14, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin spoke at a breakfast fundraiser Friday for the Susan B. Anthony List in the nation's capital, during which she told the well over 500 attendees that she and her daughter Bristol can empathize with those who face the temptation of abortion.
Palin spoke about her experience of learning that she was pregnant with her son Trig, a Down-syndrome baby. While she never actually contemplated abortion, she said she can empathize with women struggling with the temptation for "the easy way-out."
"I never ordered up, planned on, being the mother of a son with special needs," explained Palin.
But while she tried to remind herself that "God would never give me something I couldn't handle," she admitted she could not help thinking, "I don't think I can handle this. This wasn't part of my life's plan."
However, she described the experience of looking at her newborn son, her "greatest blessing," and imagined him saying to her, "See, God knows what he's doing! He gave me to you, and He gave you to me! See, it's going to be good."
Palin also said that her daughter Bristol, who had an unplanned pregnancy at 17 that was put front-and-center on the national stage, also faced the temptation to choose the easy way out. That Bristol had to endure a lengthy "public humiliation" at the hands of the media sent a message to other women that it would be easier to choose abortion, said Palin. However, Bristol kept her baby knowing that "choosing life was the right road."
"Our experience gave me empathy for those finding themselves in less than ideal circumstances," Palin explained, saying that in the end, it "strengthened my support for choosing life."
Palin also told attendees in the Ronald Reagan Building that the "feminist foremothers" of American women, the suffragettes, never viewed abortion as a real choice that would empower them. She also criticized pro-aborts for demeaning women by telling them that they are not capable of handling having a child as well as pursuing other avocations or a career.
She quoted suffragette Alice Paul's statement that abortion is "the ultimate exploitation of women" and emphasized that more young women are now returning to that original vision of truly woman-empowering feminism.
"The pro-woman sisterhood is telling these young women they are strong enough and smart enough," Palin said of the pro-life movement. "They are capable to be able to handle an unintended pregnancy and still be able to, in less than ideal circumstances, no doubt, to handle that. Still be able to give that child life, in addition to pursuing a career and pursuing an education, pursuing avocations."
But pro-abortion feminists and their organizations, she said, are putting down women and their vast potential, and discouraging them.
"Society wants to tell these young women otherwise," said Palin. "Even these feminist groups want to try to tell women, send this message that, 'Nope, you're not capable of doing both. You can't give your child life and still pursue career and education. You're not strong enough. You're not capable.' So it's very hypocritical of those ... pro-women's rights groups out there."
