Earlier this year when Sarah Palin's son was born...she was in Texas where she was scheduled to give a speech. Before the speech, her water broke and she was having some pains. This happend prematurely.

So, when she was asked if she wanted to cancel her speech, she declined, gave the speech, then flew from Texas to Anchorage, then was driven from Anchorage to Wasilla.

She chose to travel10 hours after her water broke on a preemie infant instead of going to the hospital. What was the reason and does this display poor judgement?

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley: He said he was at the North Texas meeting this year when Palin’s water broke. She gave her speech and then quickly left to get back to Alaska before her baby was born. He said he and others were impressed with her speech. "A lot of comments then were made to look out for her in the future. I think people will take a wait-and-see attitude with her.  . . . She’s going to have to prove herself, but I think people will be surprised."

http://www.star-telegram.com/state_news/story/876326.html

From Alaskan NBC affiliate KTUU:

Just yesterday, Palin was in Texas at a forum on energy with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and executives from four other states.

The governor's water broke during the energy conference but she stayed and gave a 30-minute speech before boarding an Alaska Airlines plane home to deliver the baby.

Palin gave birth to Trig Paxson Van Palin Friday at 6:30 a.m.

No word on why Palin was so determined to make sure young Trig wasn't born a Texan.

http://startelegram.typepad.com/politex/2008/04/governors-water.html

Palin was in Texas last week for an energy conference of the National Governors Association when she experienced signs of early labor. She wasn't due for another month.

Early Thursday -- she thinks it was around 4 a.m. Texas time -- she consulted with her doctor, family physician Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, who is based in the Valley and has delivered lots of babies, including Piper, Palin's 7-year-old.

Palin said she felt fine but had leaked amniotic fluid and also felt some contractions that seemed different from the false labor she had been having for months.

"I said I am going to stay for the day. I have a speech I was determined to give," Palin said. She gave the luncheon keynote address for the energy conference.

Palin kept in close contact with Baldwin-Johnson. The contractions slowed to one or two an hour, "which is not active labor," the doctor said.

"Things were already settling down when she talked to me," Baldwin-Johnson said. Palin did not ask for a medical OK to fly, the doctor said.

"I don't think it was unreasonable for her to continue to travel back," Baldwin-Johnson said.

So the Palins flew on Alaska Airlines from Dallas to Anchorage, stopping in Seattle and checking with the doctor along the way.

"I am not a glutton for pain and punishment. I would have never wanted to travel had I been fully engaged in labor," Palin said. After four kids, the governor said, she knew what labor felt like, and she wasn't in labor.

Still, a Sacramento, Calif., obstetrician who is active in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said when a pregnant woman's water breaks, she should go right to the hospital because of the risk of infection. That's true even if the amniotic fluid simply leaks out, said Dr. Laurie Gregg.

"To us, leaking and broken, we are talking the same thing. We are talking doctor-speak," Gregg said.

Some airlines have policies against pregnant women onboard during the last four weeks of pregnancy, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises against flying after 36 weeks.

This was going to be Palin's last flight anyway, her doctor said.

Alaska Airlines has no such rule and leaves the decision to the woman and her doctor, said spokeswoman Caroline Boren. Palin was very pleasant to the gate agents and flight attendants, as always, Boren said.

"The stage of her pregnancy was not apparent by observation. She did not show any signs of distress," Boren said.

Palin never got big with this pregnancy. She said she didn't try to hide it but didn't feel a need to alert the airline, either.

They landed in Anchorage around 10:30 p.m. Thursday and an hour later were at the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Wasilla.

Baldwin-Johnson said she had to induce labor, and the baby didn't come until 6:30 a.m. Friday.

"It was smooth. It was relatively easy," Palin said. "In fact it was the easiest of all," probably because Trig was small, at 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

Palin said she wanted him born in Alaska but wouldn't have risked anyone's health to make that happen.

http://www.adn.com/626/story/382864.html

Perhaps Palin was aware that her child had Down's Syndrome prior to birth?

Trig was born on April 18, 2008. By the Governor's account, she and her husband were aware that Trig had Down syndrome early in the pregnancy but they chose not to abort him.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/religionfromtheheart/2008/09/pro_trig.html

Soon after birth all babies with Down's syndrome should be assessed for congenital heart disease by echocardiogram. They should also have auditory evoked potential testing (before age 6 months) to check for hearing loss, and also be checked for congenital cataracts and glaucoma.

Associated Conditions

Cardiological Disorders

Commonest cardiac abnormalities are:

* Atrioventricular canal defects (45%)
* Ventricular septal defect (35%);
* Isolated secundum atrial septal defects (8%),
* Isolated persistent patent ductus arteriosus (7%)
* Tetralogy of Fallot (4-6%)

Adult patients, without known congenital heart disease may develop mitral valve prolapse (46%) or aortic regurgitation (17%). A second assessment in early adulthood may be appropriate.

Haematological Disorders

* Patients have approximately 12x greater risk of infections e.g. pneumonia due to impaired cellular immunity.

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/40000383/

motives
Perhaps Palin was aware that her child had Down's Syndrome prior to birth? If she had given birth to the preemie on the plane, it would have certainly died before arrival.

In the end...what does it say about the judgement of someone who could very likely be president?

this is incredibly, horribly, digustingly....
about the worse thing I have had the displeasure to read on POF

I don't give a flying fvck if you are for or against her as a candidate, but as a human to a human, WTF is YOUR humanity!

This is the truth. If you can think of a good reason to do that...let us know. I haven't heard any yet.