More Parents Speak Out

Oregon state legislator Sara Gelser, a disability advocate and the mother of a girl with developmental disabilities, examines the candidates' records and says: "Being the parent of a child with Down syndrome does not ensure that Palin will be an effective advocate for people with disabilities, any more than Dick Cheney being the parent of a lesbian daughter has made him an effective advocate for equality." Read "Empty Promises to Desperate Parents."

Blogger Liz from Illinois writes: "I am the mother of a special needs child. Republicans want me to feel understood by Palin, to feel a symbiotic connection with her because we are both mothers of special needs children. I am supposed to instinctively trust that another mother will do right by these children. Um. Not so much. Republicans have a nasty record of not supporting legislation that funds programming, education, or health care for this vulnerable group of citizens. Why in the world would I trust Sarah Palin or John McCain to help me secure my son's future because of some touchy-feely notion that 'we mothers understand each other'?"