From the Anchorage Daily News, Palins’ child diagnosed with Down Syndrome

She and her husband, Todd, showed their new baby, Trig Paxson Van Palin, to a few reporters and photographers and answered questions about his condition and the sooner-than-expected delivery.

Trig has Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that affects a child’s intellectual and physical development, the governor confirmed.

“When we first heard, it was kind of confusing,” Palin, 44, said. She called the revelation “very, very challenging” and said she initially felt sad.

But the family has worked through that. Palin said she and Todd feel blessed and chosen by God. With a big family including four older kids, grandparents, aunts and uncles, Palin said, they will have lots of support for what’s ahead. In their eyes, she said, “he’s absolutely perfect.”

This is a very well-written article about Palin’s baby and children with Down Syndrome in general.  Instead of focusing exclusively on the challenges that come with DS, the author also emphasizes the blessings that can come from having such a special child.

It’s odd, I haven’t seen this mentioned on any of the news or blogs I follow on my reader, but rather I received it via email from Dave Andrusko, editor of the National Right to Life News, who puts out NRLC’s “Today’s News & Views” daily on their website and on an email list.  I would highly recommend subscribing to N&V.  Dave’s topics range from human interest stories to political happenings to pop culture - all relating to the pro-life movement.

What I found most interesting about this story was this:

Because of prenatal testing, most families now know beforehand, said Judy Waldron, president of the Alaska chapter of the National Down Syndrome Congress, a support and education group that delivered a parent packet to the Palins in the hospital.

“They anticipate it and they kind of relish the challenge of having a child with special needs,” said Waldron, an Anchorage teacher whose 19-year-old daughter, Lyn, has Down syndrome.

While it’s “no walk in the park,” the joys are great, she said. “Just the fact that they require such great effort to complete some simple tasks and that’s real rewarding.”

Todd Palin said the family has gotten a flood of supportive e-mail from families around the country with special-needs children. He said he’s playing it by ear as far as his North Slope job.

Some people call them “angel children,” straight from God, Waldron said. They are usually sweet-natured but can be ornery, like anyone.

Left unsaid is that because of ignorance and sometimes blatantly false or biased medical information, some 80% of families choose to abort their Down Syndrome baby because they don’t think they are up for the challenge of one of these “angel children”.  Let this serve as a reminder of the importance of S. 1810, the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act.