From the moment we first heard the name “Sarah Palin” at the Republican National Convention in 2008 we knew that Sarah Palin strategically identified herself as the champion of special needs kids. In case her parade of Trig before television audiences and thousands of participants at the convention was not sufficiently instructive, she made a point of mentioning that if elected, the parents of special needs kids would have an advocate in the White House. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKgNrb3baNM. In her book, Going Rogue, and in virtually every speech she gives, Palin graces us with painful details associated with her pregnancy, labor, and delivery of a special needs child.

In August of 2009 Sarah Palin posted the following comment on her Facebook:

“The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/palin-obamas-death-panel_n_254399.html.

Multiple media sources identified this statement as the “biggest lie of the year.” Just a few of the publications that called her out on this lie included PolitiFact, http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/08/the_death_panel_lies.html, CNN http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/palin-reloads-resurrects-death-panels-and-crosshairs; Newsweek and Washington Post newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/…/the_death_panel_lies.html; “Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic, andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/…/the-odd-lies-of-sarah-palin-xcv-the-return-of-the-death–panels.html. If you read the proposed legislation you find there is nothing “remotely resembling such a sinister control of human life.” http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/08/the_death_panel_lies.html. Now, one year later, Palin continues to talk about “Death Panels.” B.S. announced the launch of a new website aimed at defeating twenty incumbent Democrats who voted for President Obama’s health care bill. In the announcement on her Facebook page, entitled “Lies, Damned Lies – Obamacare 6 Months Later,” B.S. resurrects her claims that “rationing ‘death panels'” are included in the health care bill and advocates repeal of the health care bill by electing politicians who favor repeal of the bill. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/palin-reloads-resurrects-death-panels-and-crosshairs.

Every major news source that has addressed the issue has demonstrated that the health care bill is void of any reference to any type of “Death Panel.” However truth is irrelevant to the venom that Palin spews. As if that falsehood itself was not sufficiently offensive, consider this additional information:

Even though Palin calls herself a “real person,” in less than one year after her resignation as Governor of Alaska, she has made over $12,000,000.00. abcnews.go.com/Blotter/sarah-palin-earned…12–million . Part of that $12,000,000.00 was earned as a result of promoting herself as an advocate for special needs children, and especially those like Trig, who are children with Down syndrome. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malia-litman/sarah-palin-speaks-at-fun_b_573746.html. Even though Palin has said, “Let’s take personal responsibility in all areas of life, including health”. It seems that when B.S. spoke of “personal responsibility,” she was speaking about what OTHER people should do. Documents filed with the Court indicate that Bristol’s son, Tripp, relies upon public health care for his medical care, relying on the fact that he is a “tribal member” and is 1/16th Eskimo. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/granny-palin-overcomes-he_b_470297.html.

4. Palin herself failed to take “personal responsibility” by getting pregnant when she

was 44 years old, knowing that the risk of having a Down syndrome child had increased from 1 in 900 when she was 30 years old, to 1 in 35 when she was 44 years old. http://www.ndsccenter.org/?page_id=1525; http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/downsyndrome.cfm.

5. Consider the stated position of the National Down syndrome organization’s position on nationalized health care:

“For those people with Down syndrome who do have congenital or other health conditions requiring medical intervention, insurance companies have denied them access because of their “preexisting conditions.” The whole issue of access to health insurance places an extraordinary burden on families and persons with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Families and adults with Down syndrome are forced to consider issues of obtaining or maintaining health insurance coverage above career and other significant life decisions. Even when they are able to access health insurance coverage, the financial cost can be exorbitant.” http://www.ndsccenter.org/resources/position6.php.

6. If Tripp qualifies for medical care coverage due to Todd’s Eskimo ancestry, then surely Todd’s immediate descendant qualifies for that same government health care benefit. Thus, Sarah’s own child can receive health care benefits as a result of governmental support, but most similarly situated “special needs” children have been unable to receive much needed health care because of the “pre-existing exclusion” in most traditional insurance policies. Palin not only didn’t support a legislative tool to facilitate providing this care, but she opposed it so vehemently that she has twice used the untruth of “Death Panels” to inspire fear and disapproval of the bill.

The vast majority of people dealing with a family member who has Down syndrome don’t have Eskimo ancestry, and thus can’t take advantage of the health benefits available to Trig. Yet Sarah Palin advocates a system where those “special needs” are not met. Take for example the case of “Emily,” a child with Down syndrome, whose medical bills, in excess of $3,500 a month, were devastating, forcing her family to make difficult decisions regarding therapy. Emily’s medical condition requires orthotic shoe inserts, physical therapy, and corrective eye treatments, as well as hearing and blood tests. Her family is unable to incur all the expenses at the same time. http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2009/08/its-evil-alright.html. They don’t have any Eskimo heritage, and don’t have a family member earning $100,000.00 per 45 minute speech.

Thus most representatives of Down syndrome organizations favored nationalized health care, as it provided essential relief to people who have Down syndrome.

http://kathleenbasi.com/2010/07/27/nationalized-health-care-down-syndrome-and-abortion/.

By reminding the electorate about fictitious “Death Panels” and “targeting” politicians who favored nationalized health care, Palin is doing all in her power to prevent the majority of “special needs kids” from getting the care they desperately need. Her callousness is demonstrated by charging exorbitant fees for appearances designed to raise money for special needs kids. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malia-litman/sarah-palin-speaks-at-fun_b_573746.html.

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is the largest national organization dedicated to helping people with Down Syndrome. With over 300 affiliate groups across the country, NDSS has provided millions of dollars towards advancing knowledge and research about Down syndrome, supporting the work of more than 45 scientists. Pam Sandonato, Vice President of Development of NDSS confirmed that Sarah Palin has not made any financial donations to NDSS. http://www.ndss.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:ndss-quickfacts&catid=34:about-ndss&Itemid=67

Sarah Palin’s reference today to fictitious “Death Panels,” after multiple media sources have documented that they are total fabrication is the best example of Palin’s total lack of regard for the truth. B.S. uses Trig as a tool to manipulate her supporters. For two years we have watched Sarah Palin exploit the fact that she has a “special needs” child, indicating that she is the champion of under-privileged. Yet it seems that the only cause B.S. champions is her own.