It's About Choice

(Political Animal)  IT'S ABOUT CHOICE.... Adding a coda to some speculation about Sarah Palin's family life, this seems to be getting a fair amount of attention today.

The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin's five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, McCain aides said.

Now, there are different schools of thought on this, but I'm very much inclined to think a politician's kids are entirely off-limits for public scrutiny. Bristol Palin's pregnancy has no political relevance whatsoever.

I can't help but notice, though, that the McCain campaign emphasized the fact that she "made the decision on her own to keep the baby."

That's nice, but if McCain has his way in office, the choice wouldn't be up to her at all. Roe would be overturned, and reproductive rights would be dramatically curtailed for every woman in America. Indeed, it's not just McCain -- Sarah Palin told Alaskans during her gubernatorial campaign that she wouldn't support abortion rights even if her own daughter had been raped. (Palin is also a staunch advocate of abstinence-only education.)

Something to keep in mind.