This post isn't directed at you since you are beyond having a discussion with but just adding to the general debate. While I personally find bringing home a miscarried fetus creepy I wouldn't criticize the Santorums if that is how they felt they needed to grieve. The problem with it though is that Rick Santorum has made this part of his political campaign and as such it then becomes open to discussion. If this was something private that somebody dug up as dirt to get Santorum I think our angry friend might have a point but that is undercut that Rick Santorum brings this up himself in a political context.
I think the Santorum issue is out of bounds. The kids didn't play with the stillborn baby - the "playing" was a term used by a TV commentator. And every family grieves and deals with these things in different ways. There is no right way to handle it, and while what they did is unusual, it's not unheard of. Here's an article with some actual professionals talking about the issue: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/rick-s...amilies-grieve/story?id=15306750#.TyCSOPn4AeV
OK, somebody clue me in here. Why did Santorum bring up his stillborn child? Seriously, why even bother mentioning it/bringing it into the political arena? That's an extremely personal thing and I think it just highlights what a touchy subject reproduction is and how nobody seems to view it the same way... which just goes to show that maybe we should let people decide how to handle that issue privately and independently.
As far as I can tell, his wife wrote about the experience in a book, so that's how it got into the public domain. I don't know if he brings it up on his own now or in what context. According to this: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/u...e-a-cultural-warrior.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all It seems the experience helped shape some of his views on faith and abortion, so maybe he brings it up in that context? I have no idea.
ugh, so WHAT if he brought a dead fetus home. it's totally something a rabid pro-life person would do. someone at my parents' church did the same thing. go after him for being a closed-minded bigot, for urging rape victims to carry a child to term, for likening homosexuality to child molestation and bestiality, for vowing to ANNUL ALL SAME SEX MARRIAGES if elected, for taking the horrific and ass-backwards stance of being anti-contraception, and on and on and on it goes.
Rick and his family actually still have the fetus -- they made it into a puppet with little sticks to move its arms.
Agreed. What a cruel joke. Especially when the truth is that they had the lifeless, unborn body stuffed and mounted on the wall with a plaque that said "daddy's little fetus".
Gingrich's big mistake in Monday's debate was acting like the frontrunner. You'd think he'd have learned from what happened the last time he did that. It will be interesting to see if, tomorrow, he goes back to his attacking, angry, I-hate-the-media style that sparked both of his huge surges. Tomorrow's really his last shot to win Florida. No more debates for nearly a month, and debates are the only place he gains ground.
Normally I would agree with you but if he is bringing this up in a political context then it is fair game because he has made a political issue of it.. Let me give you an example from the other side. In 1992 Al Gore at the DNC spoke movingly about his sister's death from lung cancer. Many people pointed out that Al Gore had also been a supporter of the tobacco industry. If you are going to bring up a personal tragedy to score political points then it is you who has made that an issue and not a game of gotcha.
Sure - but if the criticism is that he took the stillborn baby home for the the kids to play with, then it's nonsense. That's entirely made up. I guess people can criticize that he took the fetus home at all, but again, while unusual, it's not unheard of and people do grieve in different ways. So I guess if we want to complain that his family didn't grieve the way we would have, it makes sense as an attack. Otherwise, I don't even know what it is that people are attacking him for.
No, see, it's okay when you double down on ignorant and kind of try to hide the insensitive part with obtuse diction.
I can't speak for others but I am not attacking the Santorums for how they grieve but I do think if they are going to bring this up in a political context then it is a fair topic of discussion and criticism.
