One of the items that Steve Schmidt finds to be afoul of his brand-spanking new standards of decency is a question that a reporter allegedly asked him (umm, off the record) about whether Sarah Palin had her amniotic fluid tested.

This question got lumped in with all of the other manufactured outrage about supposed attacks on Bristol, but I think it is entirely different and legitimate.  This question is the first thing that came to mind for me when as part of her official bio, the fact came to light that she chose to have her last baby even after discovering that he would be afflicted with Down's Syndrome. 

You see, when my wife and I were meeting with the OBGYN who would eventually deliver our daughter, we discovered through a blood test (AFP) that we had an elevated risk of our child having Down's.  We asked the next sensible question, which was - can we find out for sure?  We were told, accurately as I understand, that the only way to confirm Down's syndrome was by amniosintesis, a process by which a needle is inserted into the uterus and a sample of the fluid is extracted, then tested.  Our doctor then told us, VERY CLEARLY, that while it was our decision, the procedure carried risks for the baby.  The bottom line was that unless we were entertaining the possibility of aborting the pregnancy, this procedure was an unnecessary risk.

My questions to Sarah Palin on this subject are as follows: 

1.  Why did you elect to take the risk of an amniosintesis if your religious convictions completely preclude you from entertaining the possibility of an abortion? 

2.  How do you reconcile the fact that you claim to have "chosen" to carry the baby to term inspite of Down's with the fact that you do not believe that "choice" exists at all?

3.  You made this choice for yourself, do you not believe that others should be able to choose as well?

Also, I should add, in our case we elected not to take the risk of an amniosintesis, and my daughter (now three) is not afflicted with Down's, a fact that I am very thankful for. 

I'll also add, for the purposes of disclosure, that I am male, christian but not over-the-top, and I am staunchly pro-life and staunchly pro-choice.  What I mean is that in any case where my opinion is asked, I will always advise against abortion but I also recognize that in the vast majority of cases, MY OPINION IS NOT ASKED, and I should leave those people alone to make the most difficult decision of their lives in peace.