Sarah Palin Reveals More About the Birth of Down Syndrome Son Trig

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 6, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Sarah Palin Reveals More About the Birth of Down Syndrome Son Trig

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 6
, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In a new interview with People magazine published on Friday, vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin reveals more about the birth of her Down syndrome son Trig. She reveals her husband Todd was excited about the birth of another boy and told how she didn’t inform her family about the disability.

Palin told the magazine she was saddened and surprised to lean that her son would be mentally disabled but acknowledged that her husband Todd appeared more confident.

The Alaska governor told him about the news when he returned from a business trip.

"The good news is we have a boy," she tearfully told him. "But we have a challenge."
Todd reportedly responded, "Awesome! I’m getting another boy."

Palin initially did not tell her son or three daughters about the disability, and she told People she did so because she needed time to grapple with the opportunities of raising a disabled child before confronting her children.

"Not knowing in my own heart if I was going to be ready to embrace a child with special needs," she reveals, "I couldn’t talk about it."

When Trig was born in April, the Palins and their three daughters gathered around the hospital bed while son Track was at his Army base in Fairbanks listening over the phone.

The magazine indicated 14-year-old daughter Willow was astute and noticed the condition, saying, "He looks like he has Down syndrome."

Palin told the magazine her own qualms subsided "the minute [Trig] was born" and consoled her daughter.

"If he does, you know you will still love him, Willow. It’ll be okay," the governor said.

Asked why she didn’t divulge the news, Palin said she didn’t know how to tell her family, but for Willow, that didn’t matter.

"I was a little shocked," the teen told People after having a few months to adjust. "But I don’t care — he’s my brother and I love him."

The magazine indicated that, after Trig’s birth, Palin wrote to relatives to tell them of the news of his arriving and his Down syndrome. She wrote the letter as if writing from God’s standpoint to reassure loved ones everything would be okay.

"I let Trig’s mom and dad find out before he was born that this little boy will truly be a gift," Palin wrote, signing it "Trig’s Creator, Your Heavenly Father."

 

Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com

Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report
Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.